EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one of a series of columns written by candidates on the ballot for the May 13 primary election in West Virginia. All columns were received before the deadline published in The Herald-Dispatch, and no further columns from candidates or their supporters are being accepted for publication.
The word "kinetic" according to the dictionary means "pertaining to motion" or "caused by motion" and "characterized by movement." When it comes to KineticPark, "slow motion" is the public perception.
"The Bridge to Nowhere" and "PatheticPark" are just a few terms I have heard in the past to describe KineticPark.
It began as a dream and vision in the late 1990s and early this decade for a 95-acre dotcom and business and technology park, strategically located in Huntington along Hal Greer Boulevard and just off Interstate 64, Exit 11.
Unfortunately, early in the decade, the dotcom bubble burst, meaning KineticPark would have to search for a new identity.
After millions of tons of dirt moved and millions of dollars spent, and a hotel deal gone bust Bob Evans Restaurants purchased land and built a new restaurant on the lower level, giving the park its first tenant. This is about the time that I was appointed by City Council as a commissioner for the Huntington Municipal Development Authority (HMDA). HMDA is charged with the development of KineticPark as well as the Huntington Industrial Center and the Jean Dean Public Safety Building, just to name a few.
During my two and a half years on the board, I, too, have witnessed another hotel and upscale retail shopping complex deal go sour. These failed deals were really beyond the control of anyone involved with HMDA. If anything, they were vigorously pursued until the life-support plug was pulled.
What many people in the community fail to understand is that for private development to happen, usually 40 to 60 percent of the project is sold in advance before the first shovel goes into the ground. In the case of KineticPark, a mountain top was leveled and a valley was filled in hopes that technology-based businesses would be lined up to purchase property and to build new businesses. A struggle it has been.
But there are great things that are about to happen in the very near future. More than $8 million of new construction is about to take place with the building of a new 80-room extended-stay hotel by Marriott and a new OB-GYN office for Dr. Allan Chamberlain. These businesses will join current tenants Dermatology Inc., Sullivan Ware Accounting and Bob Evans.
All these businesses had to be approved through the federal Economic Development Authority (EDA), West Virginia Infrastructure and the West Virginia Economic Development Authority (WVEDA). We have strict guidelines to adhere to because of the way the loans to HMDA for development of Kinetic Park were initially set up.
I believe we are moving in the right direction, with much more to do. I feel confident that each and every HMDA commissioner shares my passion for the continued development of this business and technology park. With a little hard work, look for exciting development in the near future to move Huntington forward.
Mark A. Bates is a candidate for Huntington City Council in District 6. For more information on candidates, go to the Election 2008 page at www.herald-dispatch.com.
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