MONTGOMERY, W.Va. — Mayor Greg Ingram holds out hope for the aging buildings on the former campus of WVU Tech.
Photo/Fayette Tribune
The Council on Community and Technical Colleges is considering a master plan approved by the BridgeValley Community and Technical College Board of Governors.
The plan, which was discussed Thursday, calls for razing some of the structures not being used if tenants cannot be found. The cost to maintain the vacant buildings was identified as a major drain on operational finances for the college.
But Ingram doesn’t believe those buildings will have to come down. He said even since Thursday’s CTC Council meeting there have been developments for one interested party committed to occupying all but one of the buildings.
“This would be a question for BridgeValley, but I think they would want to put their plans on hold because we can put these buildings to use,” Ingram told MetroNews.
Demolition plans by 2025 include Westmoreland Hall, GRID (engineering lab building), Pathfinder (engineering classroom building) and Ratliff Hall.
Other buildings included the Printing Innovation Center, Morris Creek Watershed building and the former Brown Chevrolet building and a single-family residence would be vacated.
The plans to demolish and vacate would reduce the square footage BridgeValley has at Montgomery from 298,000 to 93,000 square feet.
Ingram said he’s been working to find tenants for the vacant space on the old Tech campus since he became mayor six years ago when WVU Tech moved to Beckley.
“I’ve kind of been the real estate agent I’ve had people from as far away as California, Boston, Chicago, and down in South Carolina who have been here and visited these buildings,” he explained.
Ingram would not say which company is now ready to make the next step and move into the vacant structures. The agreement for the property will have to be worked out with BridgeValley. Ingram didn’t feel comfortable identifying the group interested in occupying the structures, but said he expected they would make their own announcement when the time is right.
“They’ve been here. They’ve toured the buildings and we’ve had meetings. I just got the confirmation call and we’re putting together a meeting in May to get all the parties together to start the transfer process,” Ingram said.
Meanwhile, the vote on a resolution to accept the master plan by the CTC Council Thursday will have to be taken again after it was learned the required public notice was not given for the meeting.