Tag: Elkview

Speaker Armstead Leaving the House, Considering W.Va. Supreme Court Bid

West Virginia House Speaker Tim Armstead announced he will step down from his work in the Legislature in 2019 and could be looking to sit on the West Virginia Supreme Court.

In a statement from the West Virginia Republican Party, chairwoman Melody Potter said Armstead has been a leader for the Republican party as both the speaker of the House and as the former-minority leader.

Armstead took on his post as Speaker in 2015. He was chosen by the chamber to fill that role after the West Virginia Legislature switched to a Republican majority – the first in more than 80 years.

According to his biography on the Legislature’s website, Armstead was first appointed in 1998 to fill a vacant seat following the death of Delegate Dick Henderson.

He went on to be minority leader for four years leading up to his move to speaker.

Outside the state Legislature, Armstead is an attorney and received his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law.

He said in an interview with reporters, he might be looking to the state Supreme Court next.

“I’ve always had an interest, and as an attorney, I think I could contribute to a sound court,” Armstead said, “but again, I’ve not decided that I’m absolutely going to pursue that, but it’s high on the radar screen at this point.”

Armstead is married with one daughter. He is a resident of Elkview in Kanawha County.

Store Reopening at West Virginia Center Marooned After Flood

A department store is reopening next month at a West Virginia shopping center that was marooned and shuttered after flooding last summer washed away an access bridge.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that spokesman Chris Brathwaite said the Kmart store at Crossings Mall in Elkview plans to reopen the first weekend in September with a grand reopening the following weekend.

The store and other businesses at the shopping center closed after the culvert bridge that was its only public access point washed out during the June 2016 flood. A new bridge was completed late last month.

Most Elkview Mall Stores Returning After Bridge Repair

A bridge that was washed out in flooding last year is being replaced at a mall in West Virginia, and almost all of the businesses are expected to reopen.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports representatives of the businesses and rent documents from Crossings Mall owner Tara Retail Group indicate 23 of the 26 businesses open at the Elkview mall when the June 23, 2016, flood occurred are expected to reopen.

The new bridge is expected to be ready to cross in July.

The bridge connected hundreds of West Virginia residents to their workplace, but bankruptcy sparked legal battles and delayed the repairs until a federal bankruptcy judge approved a bridge financing plan.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper says the return of most of the businesses shows the community’s resiliency.

Work to Start to Replace Flooded-Out Elkview Bridge

Construction is expected to start this week on a replacement for a flooded-out bridge leading to a mall in Elkview, West Virginia.

The Kanawha County Commission says in a news release Tuesday that construction on the culvert bridge at the Crossings Mall is expected to begin Thursday and should be completed in about two months.

Tara Retail Group owns the mall and is headed by developer Bill Abruzzino, who filed for bankruptcy in January. A federal bankruptcy judge this month approved a financing plan for the new bridge.

The mall has been closed since floodwaters knocked out the bridge last June. Dozens of businesses have closed and more than 500 people are out of work. The floods killed 23 people statewide.

Judge Approves Plan to Rebuild Bridge to Marooned Mall

A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a financing plan to allow the reconstruction of a washed-out bridge leading to Crossings Mall in Elkview, West Virginia.

Local outlets report the mall has been closed since a flood washed away the culvert bridge in June 2016. Dozens of businesses have closed and more than 500 people are out of work.

Tara Retail Group owns the mall and is headed by developer Bill Abruzzino, who filed for bankruptcy in January.

The Kanawha County Commission says in a release that the ruling allows contractor David Alvarez of Applied Construction Solutions to begin the reconstruction. The contractor will front the cost in exchange for priority status as a creditor.

The reconstruction will take 60 days or less, according to the contractor’s testimony.

Portable Buildings Installed for Clendenin, Bridge Schools

After months of sharing a space at Bridge Elementary School, teachers at Bridge and Clendenin Elementary have moved into new portable buildings.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the schools had been sharing a building at Bridge Elementary in Elkview since the June flood destroyed Clendenin Elementary.

Kanawha County Schools spokeswoman Briana Warner says 12 new portables have been placed at Bridge. Students will attend classes in the portables when they return from spring break on April 17.

At the combined Bridge and Clendenin elementary schools, there are currently 360 students along with 45 teachers and staff.

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