Economic Development Major Topic of Council Meeting

Special guests speak at Ravenswood City Council regarding economic development
by Barbie Layton STAFF WRITER Jackson Star and Herald

Dec 9, 2022

RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. (WV News) — Mitch Carmichael, Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Economics, Melissa O’Brien, Executive Director of the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council and Clay Riley, Vice President of Strategic Growth for the Thrasher Group spoke on the economic development of the Berkshire Hathaway Energy project and funding for infrastructure needs in Ravenswood.

Carmichael stated he was present to clear up any rumors concerning the deal with Berkshire Hathaway.

“This project is a go,” Carmichael said. “It’s a revolutionary opportunity. It’s funny how all these roads lead back to West Virginia.”

According to Carmichael, the person who runs Precision Castparts Corp, the parent company of Timet, the titanium facility going into Ravenswood, is from and still lives in West Virginia. He manages a workforce of 22,000 people and commutes to Pittsburgh.

“When the company looked at the site, they were overwhelmed with how perfect it would be for the facility,” Carmichael added.

He said there has been plenty of interest in the area since the announcement of the project.

“The day we announced this project, the next day, European companies, everyone associated with the aerospace industry and people who want that renewable energy to power their companies were reaching out,” Carmichael said. “We have other companies looking to locate in this area already.”

Carmichael said this is a huge opportunity for Jackson County and it will be critical to provide the infrastructure needed to support these jobs.

“Timet, a titanium manufacturer smelter, will be the most advanced one in the world,” Carmichael said. “This plant has committed in their memorandum of understanding with our department, 200 high-paying manufacturing jobs at no less than $70,000 per year with full benefits.”

Carmichael feels Ravenswood is on the correct path to growth and prosperity.

O’Brien and Riley spoke on Phase 2A and 2B.

Phase 2A is the water and sewer infrastructure needed. It is a $20 million phase that includes a pump station. Water will be coming from Cottageville while sewer will be from Ravenswood. To get Thrasher moving on the project, $2 million is needed of the $20 million total. The breakdown would be $1 million from the City of Ravenswood and the other from the Jackson County Commission (JCC).

Phase 2A is specific to Berkshire Hathaway and the company’s immediate need for the infrastructure to be in place by the start of production in June of 2024.

Due to the urgency of the situation, Thrasher has already begun the mapping and prework.

Phase 2B will be a $26.5 million project that will provide better sewer capacity for the entire area. It would include a new treatment plant with a two-million gallon per day capacity and the removal of the lagoons in Ravenswood.

“We have a pretty good plan to make it happen,” O’Brien said. “We just need to get the funding going.”

The project was discussed by council who unanimously voted to use the $1 million allocated to the city by the JCC through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the city’s portion of the $2 million needed.

“This is not a fairytale, this is real,” Mayor Josh Miller said.

The next meeting of the Ravenswood City Council will be January 3 at 7 p.m. at the Ravenswood Municipal Complex.