MIDDLEWAY, W.Va, — A town established in the 1700s is now on an endangered list even as preservationists fight against a proposed water bottling facility they say would alter historic homes and change the town.
On Tuesday, The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia announced it is adding the Middleway Historic District in Jefferson County to its West Virginia Endangered Properties List saying the step highlights the significant risks to this unique National Register historic district that could result from the construction and operation of the proposed Mountain Pure water bottling facility by Sidewinder Enterprises.
Here’s Middleway Conservancy President Jessie Norris:
Greg Coble is a board member of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia. He explained why Middleway was designated:
He says these concerns should be heard state wide:
For her part, Norris hopes this will bring the situation to the attention of a lot of people:
Middleway has buildings dating back to the 1700s and the proposed pipeline risks the stability of these structures, some of them built on stacked stone:
Middleway was established as Smithfield, Virginia in the late 1700s and was named Middleway in 1806.
Sidewinder, a limited liability partnership, has plans to build a 100 million square foot bottling facility on the site of the former 3M plant and run the water pipes that would serve the plant through the main road in town.
Trucks hauling the water out would also use the current two lane road through Middleway to get the product out to destinations beyond the town. Sean Masterson, one of the partners in the LLC said on a previous episode of Panhandle Live that the project would bring jobs and a big economic boost to the county. He also said the LLC would be using an existing WVDOH right of way through the town when they run the water pipes for the facility.
Norris says there will be an “advocacy gathering” this Friday with special speakers. The event is set for January 31st at 5 p.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church, 159 East Street in Middleway.
You can hear Norris and Coble’s Panhandle Live interview here.
