Small Communities , Big Impact
Photo by Visit Capon Bridge .
SAMANTHA CART
From the tip of each of its two panhandles to the southernmost coalfield , West Virginia ’ s communities run the gamut of size , topography and industry . The struggles and successes of some of the state ’ s smaller communities are sometimes overlooked in favor of its population , health care , athletic and political hubs ; however , these small communities pack a powerful punch when it comes to finding creative solutions to reversing population decline , diversifying economies and repurposing existing infrastructure .
The communities of Calhoun County , Capon Bridge , Montgomery and Weirton are proving once again that the Mountain State ’ s most powerful asset is its people , and when these people work together , the impact is significant . Most importantly , the projects and initiatives these groups are undertaking can be replicated in other places to strengthen small communities across West Virginia .
Calhoun County
In early 2022 , Crystal Mersh , president of Quality Executive Partners , moved home to West Virginia . During her transition , she started reconnecting with friends from high school .
“ The situation in Calhoun County was vastly different than when I left 40 years ago , and things had not gone in a good direction ,” she says .
Mersh and her peers started looking for ways to help turn the tides . During that time , the old Calhoun County High School building , which had sat vacant for 25 years , came up for sale , and they immediately began brainstorming ways revitalizing this property might help the community . At first , they were trying to think of a strategy for making the property commercially viable ; however , they decided that the goal should instead be to create a nonprofit .
“ Once we landed on that , the ideas came very rapidly ,” she says .
Thus , The 1982 Foundation was born , and the nonprofit entity is now in the midst of rebuilding and renovating the 100-year-old former high school into a mixed-use facility to provide recreation and community support opportunities . The completed community center will include meeting and office space and AirBnB rooms as well as a childcare center , commercial kitchen , farmers market , café , fitness center and 10,000-square-foot gymnasium .
“ The bigger project then is revitalizing the county ,” says Mersh . “ The community has really grasped ahold of the project and is generating new ideas and running with them .”
Phase one of the project is scheduled to be completed in mid-2023 , with the remainder of the project to be completed in 2024 . The project includes adding 18,000 square feet of new facilities and renovating 38,000 square feet of existing infrastructure .
The 1982 Foundation is also spearheading other initiatives in conjunction with the renovation , including Take Me Home , a program geared toward bringing people like Mersh back to Calhoun County to jumpstart communities with their combined economic power . The foundation has outlined a four-area focus to continue its revitalizing
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