Active Projects
Mon Forest Business Initiative
Funder: ARC, EDA, Benedum Foundation
Fiscal Agent: Woodlands Community Lenders
Project Director: Emily Wilson-Hauger
Project Timeframe: January 2019 - December 2022
Amount: $1,205,000
One-on-one business advising, third-party technical assistance, and access to capital for start-up and growing businesses in the recreation and tourism sectors in the Monongahela National Forest region. Partnership between Woodlands Community Lenders and Partner Community Capital. Outcomes: Businesses served, businesses created/improved, jobs created/retained, loan $ deployed and leveraged.
Mon Forest Towns Recreation Economies Project
Funder: Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Fiscal Agent: West Virginia University Foundation
Project Director: Doug Arbogast, WVU Extension Rural Tourism Specialist, doug.arbogast@mail.wvu.edu
Project Timeframe: October 2019 - February 2022
Amount: $185,000
The Mon Forest Towns Recreation Economies Project (MFT-REPA) aims to develop a Performance Agenda that will provide the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) and its gateway communities to develop and promote recreation economies to improve its economy through an appreciative participatory planning and action process. Additional funding is needed to support capacity building, formalize the partnership between the communities and USDA partners through a partnership agreement, establish a MFT board comprised of representatives from each town that will help to guide the project, and develop a Performance Agenda which includes a shared vision for tourism and goals, objectives, and action strategies with listed responsible parties. Additional grant activities include incorporating the Mon Forest Towns identity system into a regional signage plan, a Mon Forest Towns website designed to incorporate the identity system and regional asset map, tell the stories of the forest and the gateway communities, and trail planning to connect communities to trails and capture economic opportunities for mountain bike trail development. In addition, economic indicators will be established and monitored as a baseline to track the impact of recreation economy development strategies.
The Hub's Community of Achievement Program (HubCAP IV)
Funder: USDA RCDI
Fiscal Agent: WV Community Development Hub
Project Director: Amanda Workman Scott, a.workman@wvhub.org
Project Timeframe: 2020 - September 2022
Amount: $250,000
HubCAP IV will provide technical assistance training to six rural communities in the Monongahela
National Forest footprint. The program will bring capacity building and community and economic
development trainings to the six participating communities within the regional Mon Forest Towns
program. The six communities participating in the program are Cowen, Elkins, Franklin, Marlinton,
Petersburg and White Sulphur Springs.
Mon Forest Towns Merchandise
Funder: Central Appalachian Network
Fiscal Agent: WVU Foundation
Project Director: Doug Arbogast
Project Timeframe: January - December 2021
Amount: $5,000
Which MFT Strategic Plan Goal(s) does this project align with?: Goal #3 Promote the uniqueness of the Mon Forest Towns and recreation opportunities in the region through collaborative regional marketing.
Brief description of project activities and anticipated outcomes: Funds were used to purchase merchandise that was distributed to each Mon Forest Towns for giveaways.
A summary of 2021 project impacts: bumper stickers, window clings, rack cards, bottles and tote bags purchased and distributed to project partners.
Mon Forest Towns Development
Funder: Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Fiscal Agent: West Virginia University Foundation
Project Director: Doug Arbogast, WVU Extension Rural Tourism Specialist, doug.arbogast@mail.wvu.edu
Project Timeframe: January 2021 - October 2022
Amount: $210,000
The Mon Forest Towns Development project seeks resources to support the identification, preparation, and submission of high-quality proposals for priority projects and continue to measure and evaluate important performance indicators. Additional funding is being requested to focus on the primary objectives of populating the list of potential funders, further identifying the viability and fundability of projects, leveraging current sources of funding, establishing clarity on current and future projects identified in performance agendas. Identifying which sources of funding are appropriate fits for the funding source and submission of high-quality proposals. A grants coordinator will work with members of the grants committee to create capture teams that will strategically leverage their resources to pursue and secure grants. In addition, WVU faculty and students will collaborate with local steering committees to identify the indicators applicable to recreation economies and develop an integrated process for measuring and evaluating these performance indicators. Local stakeholders targeted include key informants, businesses, residents, and visitors to identify the current economic, environmental, and social impact of the recreation economy and attitudes and preferences for future development.
Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training
Funder: USDA Rural Development
Fiscal Agent: Region 4 Planning & Development Council
Project Director: Donna Ward, k.stushek@wvhub.org
Project Timeframe: October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2024
Amount: $141,000.00
Hire consultant to identify CF potential projects.
Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE)
Funder: ARC POWER
Fiscal Agent: WV Community Development Hub
Project Director: Kaycie Stushek, k.stushek@wvhub.org and Stacy Thomas, s.thomas@wvhub.org
Project Timeframe: October 2021 - September 2024
Amount: $920,482 through The Hub, also funding for equity investment through PCAP
Goal of preparing key downtown buildings to be development ready and to support entrepreneurs in gaining skills towards predevelopment activities. Support provided for downtown building inventories and predevelopment technical assistance, market assessments, building showcase opportunities, financial process support, equity investment and support to local businesses.
Mon Forest Towns capacity building and operating framework
Funder: Just Transition Fund
Fiscal Agent: Woodlands Development Group
Project Director: Doug Arbogast, doug.arbogast@mail.wvu.edu
Project Timeframe: January 2022 - December 2022
Amount: $25,000
JTF funds will be used to help formalize the Partnership’s structure, develop a sustainable operating framework through which it can advance its regional economic activities, and carry out the capacity building activities in the Partnership’s strategic plan.