Conservatives declare the historic middle road “endangered” by the proposed bottling plant – public broadcast in West Virginia

Buildings on the streets of Milway, a village in South Djefferson, dates from the late eighteenth century. But conservatives say the recent proposal for bottling plants can at risk its historical integrity.

The Western Virginia (PAWV) Alliance added Milway’s historic neighborhood to its list of endangered property in West Virginia on January 28th. The area is included in the National Register of Historic Places since 1980.

The new status comes after Sidewinder Enterprises has suggested that the Mountain Pure Water bottling facility be built on a former Middleway production site in November. The proposal of the project was encountered with the pouring of concessions to the community about concerns about environmental protection, traffic and historical storage among residents.

Established in 1999, the PAWV list has been modeled after a list of endangered properties across the country by the National Trust for Historical Storage, according to the PAWV website. The list aims to “draw attention to significant historic places in [West Virginia] Communities that are in danger of being lost and finding solutions, “the website said.

PAWV Executive Director Daniel Parker shared news about the new status of the area during a community forum at Grace’s Episcopal Church of Milway on Friday. She told the public broadcast in West Virginia that Mountain Pure’s current plan “threatens the longevity” of the village.

“Middleway is a very rare, historical treasure, not only for the state, but for the whole nation,” Parker said. “He has survived almost three centuries of growth and decline.”

Pawv expressed specific concerns about the scale of the project, as stated in a press release on January 28.

As proposed at the moment, the project will extract more than 1 million gallons of water from a local aquifer per day, install a pipeline under the center of the historic neighborhood and expand parking on a trailer for tractors, requiring large vehicles to travel through the narrow Village Street, the press message said.

“The additional traffic of heavy trucks on our narrow historic roads can cause significant damage to the foundations, stacked by the stone and increase the risk of collision, as the streets are not wide enough to accommodate semi-camions,” said Jesse Norris Jesse Norris said , President of the Conservation of the Middleay Association, in the press release.

In an email statement provided through a media representative, Sean Masterson, a Mountain Pure partner, denied that the project would have a detrimental impact on the local community, pointing to the previous use of the manufacturing site by other companies.

“3M and Kodak have successfully operated with employees and distribution traffic, traveling directly through Middleway every day,” he writes.

Masterson added that a project traffic study was approved by the Highway Department in West Virginia. “Doh understands the roads, routes and historical nature of the community and knows all this before the approval of the aforementioned survey,” he writes.

Norris also serves as the organizer of Protect Middleway, a local group of activist activists opposing the Mountain Pure project. In PAWV’s press release, she expressed concern that the construction of the production site can also cause the spread of toxic chemicals in the water supply of the village, as the chemical of chemicals in geological surveys for 2018 is reported under the plant. Representatives of the Mountain Pure project before This denied the claim that these chemicals could spread.

“The challenges facing Middleway undoubtedly guarantee its inclusion in the list of endangered properties,” Norris said. “The scale and design of this proposed plant and the pipeline will cause irreparable damage to our historic village.”

Parker said that inclusion in the list of endangered properties begins with a public nomination process where community members may recommend viewing sites. The PAWV board then reviews applications, voting which properties to include and operate publicity to encourage its protection, she said.

Parker said she had played her role for about 13 years, but rarely sees the amount of community involvement in historical conservation efforts she witnessed during the Friday forum on Middleway.

“I am honest, with turnout,” she said. “There were very few places [where] We have seen such a foundation for the support of citizens to save a historic site, as we can see here. “

The future of the Mountain Pure project is not yet clear, but its proposal faces failures in the past. The Jefferson County Planning Commission announced its original concept plan incomplete in November. The Judge of the Circular Court postponed a review of the Sidewinder’s revised plan in December to give members of the public more time to review the proposal.

But the proposal of the project will return to the offices of the district planning commissioners this month. The committee is planned to examine the revised application during its regular meeting on February 11 at 7:00 pm, which will be held at the Jefferson High School audience.

At the community forum on Friday, organizers with Protect Middleway called on those present to provide comments during the meeting and write to selected employees about their concerns about the project.

Parker said he believes that the size of public commitment in Jefferson County can protect the long -term security of Milway’s historic center.

“It’s very encouraging,” Parker said. “We believe that public opinion can swing on the future of a situation.”