We are off the great start this week at Gateway Greenspace. Streetscape work along Washington Street East nearly is complete. The large planting area along Washington Street East is underway, and pavers will be installed this week throughout the site. 

“This deal has allowed me to stay in the Kanawha Valley with my family. I originally had moved away from Charleston for a job, and this position with MATRIC gave me a chance to come back home. Now, I’m able to stay. The tech park’s potential is big. There’s no facility like it anywhere in the state. If we hadn’t kept these high-paying jobs here, Charleston and South Charleston would have lost that tax revenue.”

Adam Lucas
Director of Information Technology, MATRIC

This is the second in a series of FAQs to address issues related to The Dow Chemical Company’s donation of property at the South Charleston Technology Park to the State of West Virginia:

Click here to view the first part of the FAQ.

16.  What happens now that the Higher Education Policy Commission has accepted Dow’s donation?

The Higher Education Policy Commission and its partners will continue implementation of a $500,000 federal grant to study research park models and develop plans for the South Charleston property.  Initial mapping of the property has been completed.   Now that the state has formally accepted the donation, remaining grant funds will be available to continue planning activity related to marketing and fiscal and facilities management.

The Governor will appoint a transition team to oversee this process and ensure that every opportunity to realize the potential of the park is pursued.  The Charleston Area Alliance expects to be at the table during this process.

17.  When will new business tenants move to the tech park?

In the two years since Dow announced its desire to donate the property, global energy-sector corporations and other businesses have expressed interest in utilizing existing facilities or constructing new buildings on the site.  However, because the ownership status of the property was uncertain, these businesses were unable to move forward with meaningful plans to locate at the park.  

Since the Governor announced a week ago that the state would take ownership of buildings and land located at the tech park, venture capital firms and other businesses have begun to inquire about the property again.  

In light of nation’s growing need for energy innovation and the park’s location and rare pilot plants, the site was and is very attractive to corporations and start-ups looking for facilities where they can commercialize research and bring solutions to national and global challenges to the marketplace.  The Alliance will continue working with the Chemical Alliance Zone, Advantage Valley and federal, state and local partners to promote the property to site consultants and others looking for an opportune location to launch or expand a research and technology-related business. (more…)

“This was great news for me. I have a long tradition here. My father began working at Union Carbide in 1959, the year I was born. I’ve been working here for 30 years, and I’ve worked in all three buildings that have been donated to the state. These are excellent facilities, and I love the campus atmosphere. We have a lot of good technological minds in the state, and when facilities like this go away, they go away. And you don’t get that back.”

Vince Stricker
Senior Process Engineering Specialist, Dow

Join us Friday, March 5 at the Clay Center as Generation Charleston celebrates First Friday with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra! The WVSO will be performing “Virtuosity Unleashed!,” a Symphonic concert featuring world renowned guest violinist, Ilya Kaler (visit www.wvsymphony.org for concert details).

The concert begins at 8 p.m., and a free reception (complimentary drinks & desserts) will immediately follow in the Founders’ Lounge at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences. Also, guest violinist Ilya Kaler will be attending the reception to mingle with Generation Charleston members, so don’t miss this special opportunity to meet Mr. Kaler, an award winning violinist.

The concert and reception are free to GC members but you must RSVP. Call or email Laura Barry for concert tickets at 304-561-3504 or lbarry@theclaycenter.org. Limit two tickets per GC member. Complimentary concert tickets and reception made possible by Verizon.

Also, GC will be taking monetary and supply donations for Haiti Relief. In addition to monetary donations, we can accept:

• Baby Formula (dry/powder)
• Baby wipes
• Toiletries (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes)
• Hand sanitizer
• Vitamins
• Over the counter medicines (Tylenol, Advil, aspirin, Tums, etc.)
• Non-perishable foods that are not in cans (seal-paks of tuna or sardines, for example)
• Beans (not in cans)
• Planting seeds for farmers

Think flat, lightweight, and easily packable. You will be able to drop off your donation before the concert at a collection table in the lobby.

For more information visit www.flmhaiti.org.

The Higher Education Policy Commission today voted in favor of accepting a donation from The Dow Chemical Company for property and buildings at the South Charleston Technology Park. Following Governor Joe Manchin’s announcement last week that the state plans to transform the park into an “Education, Research and Technology Park,” Commission members echoed that commitment and formally approved the agency’s new role in overseeing the park.  The vote was unanimous among participating members.

“This represents a tremendous opportunity for higher education, for research and development, and for the future of West Virginia,” said David Hendrickson, Chairman of the Commission. “We are ready to take on this new venture, which is sure to be challenging – but also has the potential to present a new terrain of possibility that our state has never before seen.”

West Virginia’s strategic plan for science and technology is to transform West Virginia’s economy by spurring job creation and technology-based business development. With far-reaching research taking place across the state, the primary goal of the park is to create a business incubator for developing and commercializing ideas, including research in energy, chemicals and materials, and biotechnology.

“Thanks to leadership from Governor Manchin, legislators, federal representatives, local officials and the business community, all of the right pieces are coming together to put the tech park – and West Virginia – on an encouraging new path,” said Brian Noland, the Commission’s Chancellor. “Members of the Commission today again signaled the state’s willingness and desire to make that happen, and I am eager to pursue the promise that I know the park holds for education and the economy.” (more…)

“I’m here because of the labs and facilities, so I’m happy they were able to save the Tech Park. I’m happy we’ll have more opportunities here. We’ll see more potential clients who need experimental facilities. We already have a lot of good people here, and now we can keep the existing workforce.”

Chuck Moyers
Senior Chemical Engineer, MATRIC

The Harvard Glee Club, America’s oldest collegiate choir, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17 at the Baptist Temple at the corner of Morris and Quarrier Streets.

The Glee Club is widely considered to be the top collegiate men’s choir in America.  In 2005, it was the only such group invited to perform at the national convention of the American Choral Directors’ Association.

The group takes annual spring tours to various regions of the United States, as well as regular summer tours overseas. This year’s tour will include the Upper Midwest and Canada, in addition to West Virginia.  

Members of the Harvard Glee Club will be arriving on Wednesday afternoon, March 17. Their performance will be that evening at Baptist Temple and they will not depart Charleston until 2 p.m. Thursday, March 18.

The group will need a number of host families who will pick them up at the reception after the concert, provide a place to sleep that night, serve them breakfast in the morning and then transport them downtown after breakfast to a predetermined location. The reconvened group will then be treated to a brief tour of Charleston prior to their departure for Cincinnati at 2 p.m.

If you are interested in hosting one or, hopefully, more of these young men, please let us know as soon as possible. We want their day in Charleston to be one that they will not forget. Contact daniel.foster@camc.org or Hopkins@post.harvard.edu to volunteer.

Concert ticket information is available by calling (304) 344-1060 or (304) 346-3700.  Additional information about the Glee Club and the 2010 Spring Tour is available at its Web site, www.harvardgleeclub.org.