West Virginia
| Program Category | # of Grants per state | Sum of EDA $ |
|---|---|---|
| Assistance to Coal Communities | 8 | $5,784,200 |
| Disaster Relief | 1 | $1,704,000 |
| Economic Adjustment Assistance | 1 | $1,212,000 |
| Planning | 11 | $800,000 |
| Public Works | 2 | $3,814,435 |
| Technical Assistance | 1 | $116,667 |
| Grand Total | 24 | $13,431,302 |
Brooke County, West Virginia, has suffered dramatic economic losses from the closure of coal, steel, industrial, and manufacturing facilities. The Ball Corporation, for example, shut down its manufacturing facility in 2017, displacing 320 employees. Brooke County and the rural town of Beech Bottom suffer from high unemployment and continue to struggle to diversify their economy and attract higher-wage jobs.
In FY 2018, EDA awarded $2,640,000 in Public Works funds to the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle to rehabilitate the old Wheeling Corrugating Steel plant to allow for industrial expansion in this 480,000 square foot building. The Business Development Corporation had previously rented over 200,000 square feet of this facility to nine companies employing over 90 persons.
The roof needed to be replaced, portions of the electrical service upgraded, and concrete work on the remaining portion of the facility to site two new companies and facilitate one existing tenant expansion. This project serves as an anchor and a catalyst for diversification of industrial development in this rural area. With this investment, the three companies committed to the creation of 95 new jobs with a private investment of over $1 million.