VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher, right, presents a ceremonial check representing grant funding awarded by VCEDA for the Haysi Kiwanis Club Mountaintop Campground project to Billy Branham, second from right, chairman of the Haysi Kiwanis Club; and David Yates, second from left, secretary of the Haysi Kiwanis Club. Also pictured is Dickenson County Economic Development Director Mitzi Sykes, left.
HAYSI, VA – OCTOBER 8, 2019 — An up to $35,000 grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) to be used to finance the installation of a water line and water hook-ups for the Haysi Kiwanis Club Mountaintop Campground was awarded recently to the Haysi club.
The Haysi Kiwanis Club is a 501(c)(4) non-profit Virginia corporation. The club is in the process of establishing a campground for ATV and horseback riders who utilize Spearhead Trail’s Ridgeview Trail system and the non-motorized Russell Fork Trail, also part of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority’s Spearhead Trail System. VCEDA previously approved funding to the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority to help construct the Ridgeview Trail.
“VCEDA is pleased to assist with funding for the Kiwanis Mountaintop Campground project,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “Their application projects one full-time and two part-time jobs within two years.”
The property on which the campground is located is at the trailhead for the Ridgeview and Russell Fork trails. A total of 18 campground sites are being established. According to Spearhead Trails, Ridgeview is currently the only trail in its system without a campground or lodging at the trailhead.
The Haysi Kiwanis Club secured a $35,000 loan from New Peoples Bank to begin the three-phase project. Phase I of the project involved the construction of a bathhouse and installation of electrical connections to each campsite. The electrical component and the bathhouse construction have now been completed.
Phase II consists of water and sewer line installation and a dump station for RV disposal usage. Phase III is the last link in the project and will consist of connecting to the main sewer line leading to the Haysi Sewer Plant.
“Without the money from VCEDA, we would not be able to follow through on this project this quickly,” said David Yates, secretary of the Kiwanis Club.
Shawn Lindsey, executive director of the Southwest Regional Recreation Authority, noted the campground construction illustrates the value of Spearhead Trails in helping to create additional jobs.
“The reason we build trails is to create jobs,” Lindsey said. “The new campground is a great thing for Spearhead Trails, as well as for the Kiwanis Club.”
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.