U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was in Beckley Tuesday evening to speak at the graduation of the Health Science and Technology Academy, but beforehand she took time to meet with City of Beckley and regional officials.
According to Capito, the group spent time discussing the opioid crisis, Community Development Block Grants, ongoing city projects, broadband connectivity, tourism and the impact of WVU Tech on the city.
“Things are looking bright here,” Capito said. “It’s tough, it’s tough for every small town, but the region is picking up economically and I think that’s the good news.”
While time was spent covering improvements in the area, a great deal was spent on what many believe it’s greatest challenge, opioids.
“The elephant in the room is always the opioid epidemic,” said Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold. “We heard some good discussion about some measures in Congress now to make, hopefully, meaningful steps towards treatment and prevention.”
As part of that discussion, Capito spoke with Beckley Police Chief Lonnie Christian about his department’s efforts and the impact of the city’s inclusion in the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program which helps police departments in high drug traffic areas battle the epidemic.
“We had the police chief here to talk about the issues with law enforcement,” Capito said. “I was glad to hear him say that he’s getting a lot of support for the HIDTA program which is something I’ve supported at the federal level.”
While a large portion of the meeting was a focus of the problem of opioids in the area, a portion was allowed for economic development discussion.
Before stopping in Beckley, Capito attended a ribbon-cutting for an expansion Truston Technologies in Wyoming County.
Truston is a southern West Virginia based company that builds port security and other naval protection devices.
“They have West Virginia product all over the world which makes me feel proud,” Capito said.
The senator also spoke on economic diversification in Beckley and the rest of southern West Virginia.
According to Capito, part of that diversification and development is the integration of WVU Tech into the community and the school’s production of students trained for 21st century jobs.
“You’re going to have more young people trained,” Capito said. “Ready for the new economy.”
The senator also said that tourism is a big part of that economic diversification, referencing the nearby Boy Scouts of American Summit Bechtel Reserve.
According to Rappold, time was spent speaking on a particular event in detail, Hinton’s Railroad Days.
“We’re pretty hopeful it’s going to happen this year,” Rappold said. “Then we can hopefully take a breath and plan some strategy.”
Negotiations with Amtrak are ongoing to compromise on a order that would put a stop to special trains such as the New River Train which brings visitors into Hinton for Railroad Days.
While going over the importance of the event to Hinton and greater southern West Virginia, Rappold said that after speaking with Capito he has gained a deeper understanding of how complex the situation is nationally to put on the event.
“There are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes,” Rappold said. “I have a better appreciation for it. I just want to see it continue.”
Overall, Rappold was pleased with the talks.
“It was a great session,” the mayor said. “Very informative for all of us.”
