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ELKINS -- County commissioners from Randolph, Upshur and Lewis counties were among regional leaders fielding questions during the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce's recent "State of the Corridor" event at Magnolia Hall.
The event, which was moderated by Dr. John G. Poffenbarger, an associate professor of political science at Davis & Elkins College, featured regional leaders discussing the future of economic development in the region.
Poffenbarger asked each county commissioner to briefly describe the geography of their county, along with the opportunities and challenges it presents, and what steps the counties are taking to enhance opportunities.
Upshur County Commissioner Sam Nolte said, "With Upshur County and Buckhannon being located right along the Corridor, it has a slight advantage when it comes to development," Nolte said. "The question we always get is what we are going to do about jobs.
"Probably the thing that hurts us the worst right now in Upshur County is that we are without a coal mine in the county, and we have been for several years. And unfortunately, drilling activities have been minimal. But we are hopeful it's just a matter of time before gas comes back to this area. We want to talk to all of those in the gas industry to see what we can bring in."
Nolte mentioned how Upshur County, along with Randolph and Lewis, have a lot to offer for tourists, especially when it comes to outdoor activities, such as hiking, fishing and hunting. Stonecoal Lake is a popular destination in the area, and Stonewall Jackson Lake in Lewis County is in close proximity to Upshur.
"We need to attract more folks to Upshur County, because we really do have a lot to offer," Nolte said. "A lot of people who live in Upshur County are here because they visited at one time or another and decided to move here."
Randolph County Commission President David Kesling talked about the county he represents.
"Randolph County is the largest land mass county in the state and sometimes that puts a burden on our resources," Kesling said. "It especially puts a strain on our emergency services and our sheriff deputies because we have so much of an area to cover.
"We have worked with our Sheriff to make sure we have 24-hour coverage, but if we have fewer deputies working at night, that's a lot more land mass they have to cover. We have worked with our county's EMS and we are going to build a new site on Corridor H once it is complete. Being at that new location will help cut down on their response times in the county, especially heading out toward Tucker County."
Kesling talked about how each of the four seasons draws visitors to Randolph County..
"We have the Forest Festival in the fall and the Ramp Festival in the spring, and both of those events bring people to town," Kesling said. "And when those tourists come to the county they stay in hotels we are able to collect hotel-motel tax. That money helps us give money to all the other organizations we help out throughout the year."
Lewis County's Agnes Queen was the final commissioner to address Poffenbarger's questions.
"Lewis County is in a unique location and we have 390 square miles of land with a lot of that being on water because we do have two lakes," Queen said. "We have direct access to both Corridor H and I-79, and the county collects nearly $1 million a year in tax from tourists and we are very thankful for that."
Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner, and Mayor Kim Harrison-Edwards from the city of Weston also took part in the session, as did Development Authority Directors Robbie Morris (Randolph), Ray Smith (Lewis) and Brandon Tenney (Upshur).
This was the second annual "State of the Corridor" event. It took place in Upshur County in 2024.