By Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
The Bridge Recreation Complex in Bridgeport, West Virginia continues to be a
testament to the vision of the Bridgeport City Council to build a facility that could serve
the community and the region for years to come. I joined The Bridge shortly after the
opening and have continued to visit four or five days a week. I was recently there on a
Saturday and seeing hundreds of families enjoying the facility was heartwarming. The
courts were filled with volleyball teams from throughout the region, competing in a
tournament. The swimming pool was busy with staff members getting the pool ready for
a Easter Egg Hunt. They placed hundreds of plastic Easter eggs in the water waiting for
a throng of children, to dive in and retrieve the goodies. In the turf field on the second
floor, my granddaughter, Sadie, was completing the “Little Trolls” program for the
Spring. She has participated for several years, and I have seen her growth and
development as she played games and learned the basics of sports, such as soccer
and baseball.
The Bridge was built under the “Home Rule” legislation passed by the West Virginia
Legislature after a lifetime of lobbying by city officials from throughout the state. The
legislation allows cities and towns to determine their own destiny by using innovation
and revenue produced locally and spent locally. The 1% sales tax that municipalities
were permitted to enact allows projects like The Bridge and the Clarksburg Robinson
Grand Performing Arts Center to build and run, world class facilities for an increased
quality of life and an economic development boost in their communities and beyond.
Too many times, cities and towns had their futures dictated to them by the leaders at the
state level and often, projects would miss the mark and leave local residents on the
hook for the cost. A good example of this is the road network throughout the state that
sliced up many cities with massive road projects, often devastating local economies
without input from local leaders.
Recently, I was in Alabama and met a city councilman from Millbrook, Alabama and he
was telling me about a project in his city, called 17 Springs, a recreational and
entertainment project that is currently under construction. I mentioned to him that we
had a similar type of project in Bridgeport, West Virginia and he was quite interested to
hear that another city, of similar population was having success with this type of project.
The City of Charleston, West Virginia recently announced that they were considering a
recreation facility at the site of the Town Center Mall which was one of the few malls
around the country, operating in the downtown section of a city. I’ve spoken to
Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin several times about the project, and she is excited at
the prospect of a revitalization of the mall site and giving residents a reason to come
back downtown and attract additional groups to Charleston.
A good quality of life is quickly becoming a necessity in cities and towns. Workers will
often look at recreation opportunities as they make their decisions to relocate or explore
job opportunities. It certainly seems to be working in Bridgeport and North Central West
Virginia!