By Stephen Smoot
Mallie Combs, executive director of the Hardy County Rural Development Authority, remembered the first years after the opening of Corridor H to public use.
“You didn’t see any traffic,” she stated, adding that “some people predicted it would never have the traffic that it has now.” A Fox News television report years ago even called it a “road to nowhere.”
“Now there’s traffic on it all the time.”
Hardy County had a solid economic foundation prior to the extension of the highway, officially christened US Route 48. For decades, American Woodmark and various stewards of the chicken processing facilities in Moorefield churned out products sold across the nation and around the world.
Now, with almost all of the West Virginia sections of the planned route either completed or under construction, the full potential of the highway to boost the county economy has developed. As Combs explains, not only has industry and manufacturing grown considerably in recent years, “but you also see the tourism aspect of it as well.”
Though the highway helps to create opportunities to expand the county economy and provide more good jobs, the RDA often serves as a catalyst to bring those plans into fruition. According to Combs, the mission of the organization lies in retaining “existing manufacturing jobs, look at new jobs . . . and improve your county, community, and businesses.”
Development authorities on either the county or regional level help to create conditions that attract new investment and employers while supporting those already in place. Their directors must keep their heads on temporal swivels, using data and developments from the past, navigating the challenges of the present, and anticipating opportunities and problems in the future.
Combs explained that “I have seen a lot of changes in my career,” which “taught me that you either move forward or go backward.” She explained by saying that in Hardy County, “we have always been more receptive to people and change” and that choosing to keep a community as it is represents a decision to move backwards as others forge ahead.
“Change,” however, does not mean embracing any opportunity that comes the county’s way. When the county had the chance to host a new correctional facility, Combs said “I don’t think so,” understanding that prisons attract problems in the surrounding community, as Cumberland has discovered.
Other changes produce benefits. For example when Omnitrax, a company founded by retired CSX executives, purchased the South Branch Railroad, some feared a potential negative impact. Instead, as Combs describes, Omnitrax has provided more services to regional industry than the state could. Also, she explained that the much larger number of cars run by them “is a sign they’re doing better.”
Development authorities also both directly and indirectly promote better infrastructure at every opportunity. Beyond reliable roads, water, and sewer comes services that residents and businesses alike rely upon.
“Our school systems are very good,” Combs stated. She went on to say that “we have a lot of good teachers and professionals there,” then added that the students of schools today will serve as the workforce of tomorrow.
Of course Hardy County Schools face unique challenges compared to most of the rest of the state, especially in terms of working to accommodate 16 non English language groups spoken by children in the system. Combs shared that ‘I’m really pleased we now have social workers in the school system.” These come from Communities In Schools, a program that aids students and their parents or caretakers whose social-economic challenges form barriers to academic success.
Combs said in recent years “there’s a whole different need. That is when a child does not have food, a safe environment. It’s hard for them to learn.”
The RDA has also worked with Hardy County Schools to enhance educational experiences that prepare students for both employment and entrepreneurship. It worked with the United States Department of Agriculture to get funding for student-run entrepreneur shops at Moorefield High School.
Supplementing the school system’s efforts is the South Branch Career and Technical Center and Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College. Both schools offer trades based training programs that will lead to high paying local jobs while EWVCTC also provides associate degree programs and pathways to lead to four year degrees elsewhere.
Health care facilities also serve as a basic need and a vital element of the kind of infrastructure that economic development needs. The RDA took the lead on supporting Hardy County Commission efforts to construct a new Health Department office. Combs related that during the COVID pandemic, she was concerned to see that it shared a parking lot with the Committee on Aging. The new building keeps those going to the Health Department with communicable diseases from being in close proximity with often immunity-challenged seniors.
Additionally, WVU Medicine’s purchase of Grant Memorial Hospital has given regional patients access to types of specialist delivered care not generally available in rural areas. WVU Medicine created a “circuit rider” type program where specialists practice at multiple WVU Medicine facilities to ensure that patients limit long distance trips to the main hospital complexes in Morgantown or Clarksburg. Combs praised CEO Dr. Albert Wright, whom she said “wants to work with everybody to provide the medical services that we all need and deserve.”
The county does have a major infrastructure advantage over many surrounding areas. Hardy Telecommunications extends fiber based high speed internet through much of the county and has also started expanding service into surrounding areas. The ability to rely on consistent speeds elevates Hardy Telecommunications into the elite of state providers while providing key economic development, emergency services, and communications infrastructure.
As the county continues to grow, the Rural Development Authority will continue to work with government officials, stakeholders, and others to ensure that the area continues to attract premium investment and good paying jobs while supporting efforts to maintain the foundational infrastructure needed to do so in the modern economy.
