U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Friday she is considering several Congressionally Directed Spending requests for Mercer County, including projects in Bluefield, Princeton and the Mercer County Airport.
Capito made several stops in Bluefield and Princeton Friday as part of her “revitalization funding tour,” which included a trolley tour of the 400 block downtown rebuild site in Bluefield, the location of the planned combined EMS facility in Bluefield, a tour of the Hotel Thelma construction site in Bluefield and a stop at Mercer County Airport where a runway extension project is planned.
CDS requests, formerly known as federal earmarks, have been submitted for both the airport runway extension project and the combined EMS facility in Bluefield. At Princeton City Hall, Capito heard about progress on the new community center and police department sites, both of which were funded by CDS requests.
“Well, I’m here visiting with the city leaders and the county leaders to see about some of the projects that I’ve helped with, but also with the future of Bluefield,” Capito, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said. “So we went out to the airport and talked about elongating the runway, and the great need for that and how that would bring larger aircraft in which would help with economic development. So we want to help with that project as much as we can. The other thing we went over to talk about was the consolidation of the fire, police and emergency services over on the south side, and the vision that they have. And then we just went over to Hotel Thelma, which is a fascinating project. So I think Bluefield’s on the move, and I’m here to see how I could possibly help.”
Capito said the Hotel Thelma project will assist with housing needs for the region.
“You know, the housing portion is so critical,” Capito said. “We have a national housing shortage, and particularly on the affordable side we have a lot of older housing structures that are no longer safe for people so they’re going to do some transitional housing and elderly housing, which is great, and preserving the history, which is really great.”
Work on the Hotel Thelma project got underway in January, and a ceremonial groundbreaking is planned for next week, according to Brian Tracey with the Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission.
“So the senator went through the whole property top to bottom,” Tracey said of Hotel Thelma, a historical landmark in Bluefield that is being converted into affordable housing for senior citizens and a restaurant. “She asked a lot of insightful questions and clearly understood what we were doing at the property. We also had the opportunity to tell her what this project will bring to the community. Affordable housing for seniors specifically designed for that age group. We walked her through all of the design features. She was very impressed with the design that we’ve developed, and we also spent some time in what used to be Thelma’s cafe and told her we will be bringing back the restaurant to this space for the first time in more than 40 years.”
Capito said a decision will be made later on CDS requests for the airport and the combined EMS facility, which would place the Bluefield Police Department, Bluefield Fire Department and Bluefield Rescue Squad on a single campus near Bland and North streets.
“The EMS center, you know I’ve seen this around the state where a lot of communities and counties are combining their services and they’re trying to put them in areas where they have good access,” Capito said. “But also some of the communities that might have been left behind in terms of city, policing and other things, or where there might be a little bit higher crime area. And so I think that’s what the vision is here. So they will formally ask us. The window on these (funding awards) doesn’t close for probably another month, so that’s what I’m doing is kind of finding out what the projects are. And trying to help with some federal funding.”
A CDS request also is pending for the runway extension project Capito said.
“Apparently the airport did have a Congressionally Directed spend that didn’t get all the way through, so we’re going to work with them on the extension,” Capito said. “But with that one it’s less about the extension, and it’s more about hangar space because you can’t get anybody else in there for hangar space and they think they can attract some businesses, you know, aviation businesses to house their equipment there.”
The combined EMS campus in Bluefield is a $35 million project, and a CDS request has been submitted, according to Anthony Heltzel, city clerk and assistant city attorney for Bluefield.
“The primary location that we’re looking at is right off Bland Street,” Heltzel said. “All of this area. You’ve got North Street and South Street and we are planning on developing right in between those where we’re going to put the majority of our shelters and the majority of our facilities. Now we will have accessory structures and accessory parking in this entire area.”
Heltzel said the combined EMS campus will consist of newly built structures for police, fire and EMS.
“These will be completely new, and the design that we have been going through in designing these structures is based on their effectiveness to accomplish what we need,” Heltzel said. “So we have offices, you know, on the upstairs floors. We have holding cells on the downstair floors. We have secure entry. You know whenever you come into our police department right now is not very secure. We’ve got our people there. The police clerk is behind a sheet of plexiglass. We will be able to keep a secure facility to ensure the safety of our officers. The safety of citizens who are in there. And then the rescue squad and the fire is built specifically so that they have room for easy entry and egress from their structures.”
Some structures nearby must be acquired and removed to make way for the EMS campus, Heltzel said.
Heltzel said the city is seeking a CDS award large enough to help with covering the entirety of the project.
Capito said everyone in Mercer County appears to be working together on the various projects, which she said is important.
“Everybody is on the same page here, which is really impressive because sometimes you have internal fighting,” Capito said. “And so this helps me when it comes time for me to ask. I’m going to know what I’m asking for.”
Capito also spoke briefly while in Bluefield on national issues in the news, including possible military action against Iran and the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down much of President Trump’s tariffs.
“So the president has moved a lot of assets,” Capito said of Iran. “He’s been very transparent in terms of you’ve got to come to the table. They are the ones funding terror in Israel through Hezbollah and Hamas and in Yemen. They’re also the ones funding all of this terrorism and killing people. I don’t want to see us go alone. I don’t think we want boots on the ground, but I do think a more peaceful globe would be if Iran would come to the table and deal with all nations. And I think that’s the goal.”
As for the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, Capito said she just learned of it while in Bluefield.
“Well, I just saw that as we were driving through,” Capito said. “The Supreme Court has judged that they are unconstitutional. Parts of them. I think it’s going to be interesting to see what happens in terms of how you pay people back, because I think that is what’s going to be required, although that has been undetermined. I believe in the Supreme Court that we have. I trust them, and so I think we need to abide by their decision on congressional or executive overreach, and in terms of how it interacts with the Constitution.”
From Bluefield Capito traveled to Princeton where she toured city hall and the ongoing municipal construction projects.
“On behalf of the city of Princeton, I would like to thank Senator Capito for taking time out of her busy schedule to receive updates on the city’s wave pool, community center, and police department projects,” Samuel Lusk, director of the Princeton Economic Development Authority, said. “Senator Capito has been, and continues to be, an advocate for our community and for new incredible facilities, which will provide an array of quality public services to our area. Public projects take many partners to be successful, and Senator Capito has delivered on many opportunities that will help realize crucial projects. Again, we thank her and her team.”