Trending
One of the privileges of this job is often getting a view from within the sideline huddle, and sometimes even from within the locker room, of the various projects and efforts taking place to put our region onto its path for the future.
I grew up in the Weirton area. I remember what it was like in the 1980s and 1990s. I've seen many of the shifts and changes with our business community, especially following the bankruptcy of Weirton Steel Corp. and the facility's sales to the International Steel Group, then ArcelorMittal and now Cleveland Cliffs. I've watched as long-time businesses have closed their doors, while newer shops have opened theirs.
Nowhere has that shift been more apparent than Three Springs Drive. We've all experienced the excitement of newer businesses such as Primanti Bros., O'Reilly Auto Parts, Big Lots and ALDI. Do you remember before, though?
At one point, Three Springs Drive was home to only one hotel. Now there are three. I remember when Kroger was located where Busy Beaver stands now. I remember a time before Walmart came to Weirton, let alone having a supercenter in the city. There was a State Police office where Village Pharmacy now stands.
There was a time our options for food on that stretch of road were Ponderosa, McDonald's and Burger King. It was amazing to learn we wouldn't have to drive to Pittsburgh to go to Eat 'n Park anymore. Dee-Jay's was located on Pennsylvania Avenue. Weirton Steel had its offices where Walmart is now. That area also was the home of the International Food Festival.
If one were to look at photographs of Three Springs Drive as it was 40 years ago and how it is today, you probably wouldn't believe it was the same area. I'm sure people would say the same for the area in the 1950s and 1980s. Remember that at one time, that was an air field.
It took time and investment from people willing to work toward a new vision. Many of those individuals were local residents who had an opportunity to give back and provide an opportunity for the community in which they were raised.
We're seeing it continue today with various projects springing up in recent years. Some have been the result of national or international companies taking an interest in the growth opportunities they are seeing in the Ohio Valley. Many, though, are coming from years of work by local individuals and families.
Friday afternoon, we saw one such project take its next step. The members of Park Drive Development LLC purchased a tract of land along what is now known as Park Drive in 2006 following the Weirton Steel bankruptcy. The property had once beeen used as the local youth soccer league fields, but, in the not too distant future, will be the home of retail developments, as well as new housing opportunities. It has taken a lot of time to get to this point, but it is important to recognize this was an effort that never stopped, even when those involved might have felt like walking away.
Like much of Weirton, Three Springs Drive was a different area in 2001, when I started at this newspaper, than it was in my childhood. It has changed even more dramatically over the last 22 years. If this keeps up, and I have no doubt it will, just imagine what will happen in the coming years.
Perhaps some of that luck and investment can even return to Weirton's downtown.
(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)