A lot of changes in the last 15 years
I woke up last Sunday with a day full of personal plans (something I rarely am able to do) and no intention of thinking about work.
I then remembered it was my 15th anniversary with The Weirton Daily Times. On Aug. 14, 2001, I walked into our old newsroom on Lee Avenue, pretty much fresh out of college and having little idea of what would truly be in store for me.
There have been an uncountable number of experiences over these last 15 years. Some have been good, others bad, just as with any job.
I’ve been provided with opportunities which wouldn’t have been available in other markets and larger newspapers. There have been interviews with U.S. senators, governors, coverage of a stop of one vice presidential candidate, business announcements, monument dedications and an untold number of government meetings.
Along with those experiences has been change; in myself and the communities around us.
There have been five Weirton municipal administrations during those years, numerous ribbon cuttings for businesses in the city (if only they had all been able to stay open), and more physical changes than I can remember.
There have been efforts to improve our local parks and playgrounds, the development of veterans memorials, as well as a monument to our local steelworkers, the construction of a state office building, the opening of a museum, an art gallery and an event center.
Cove Valley Lumber was demolished and turned into a parking lot. Some unused areas of the steel mill are no longer there.
Jimmy Carey Stadium is now on the campus of Weir High instead of downtown, and there is now one elementary school.
Just look at Three Springs Drive and compare it today to how it was 15 years ago.
There are new hotels, new restaurants and retail outlets and promises for more in the years ahead.
There seems to be a belief that development or projects of any kind can happen with just a snap of the fingers, but it all takes time. There is planning involved, funding, construction and so many other steps.
We haven’t really been able to call the Ohio Valley a steel area for a while. Where the steel mills once were the largest employer, we now have health care facilities and race tracks, with a variety of smaller operations filling in the gaps.
Natural gas has been coming and going, with the possibility of another increase in the next few years.
Weirton and its neighboring towns and cities are different from where they were a decade or more ago. That change is going to continue in the years ahead.
Some of it won’t be great. Bad things happen, sometimes. There’s nothing we can do to stop it.
But I truly believe there also will be good.
There are people who are working hard to make a difference and find ways to put us on a new path.
It will all just take time to see it through, and some effort from those of us who are here and willing to pitch in.
Change doesn’t happen when people just sit back and wait, after all.
I don’t know what the next 15 years will have in store for the area, but I do look forward to seeing it happen.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter @CHowellWDT)
COMMENTS