BRIDGEPORT – One of West Virginia’s foremost chefs and a leading restaurant manager have been hired to manage food services and events at Charles Pointe, the master-planned community being built here by Genesis Partners. Scott D. Duarte will be executive chef and Terri L. Satterfield will be events manager for CP Hospitality, a division of Genesis Partners. Duarte will also serve as food and beverage manager. "We’re very pleased that two professionals with such impressive credentials and such strong ties to West Virginia are coming to Charles Pointe," said James A. Corton, managing partner of Genesis Partners. Duarte is a Clarksburg native. Before becoming executive chef and food services manager at the Tamarack Conference Center in Beckley two years ago, Duarte was an executive sous chef at the renowned Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, NC. Earlier he was employed by Parkway Foodservice in Greensburg, PA. Duarte started his career by working as a cook at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. He also was a cook at dining establishments in Pittsburgh, PA, and at the Philip Podesta Restaurant in Clarksburg and Muriale’s Italian Restaurant in Fairmont. He has been certified as a chef by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and as a trainer by the American Management Association. Duarte was president of an ACF chapter in North Carolina. His favorite foods include many of the Italian, Spanish, and American dishes that are so popular in this area. He also greatly enjoys the regional style of cuisine that he helped develop at Tamarack. Chef Duarte and his wife, Jennifer, have four children. After graduating from Liberty High School in Clarksburg, he received a specialized associate degree at the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts. "Scott has earned many cooking awards and certificates during his 18-year career. His commitment to excellence and innovation reflect our community’s high standards," said Mike Hager, director of resort and leisure activities for Genesis Partners. Satterfield spent seven years managing the ESPN-ZONE restaurant and three years supervising the Hard Rock Café in Washington, D.C. She also organized many events for famous actors, musicians, and politicians there. The Fairmont native helped establish the Hard Rock Café in Denver, CO. She interviewed job applicants, trained personnel, created operation manuals, established budgets, calculated labor costs, and predicted business trends. Satterfield, who has arranged numerous executive events, received extensive corporate management training through the Disney Corporation. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education at Fairmont State College and taught kindergarten for three years at the Burke County Day School in Washington. "Terri is a quick learner who has exceptional business and interpersonal skills. Whether she’s managing employees or helping customers, she really knows how to communicate with people and how to motivate them," Hager said. Duarte and Satterfield will supervise the catering of conferences, weddings, and other social events at the Bridgeport Conference Center, Tailfeathers Sporting Clays and Upland Bird Hunts, the Microtel Hotel now under construction, and other Charles Pointe facilities. Duarte will also help develop restaurants, food outlets, and food concepts here. Charles Pointe is West Virginia’s first master-planned community. Hotels, homes, and offices are being built on a 1,700-acre site.. [More]

BRIDGEPORT – Fairmont Federal Credit Union (FFCU) plans to build a full-service financial facility at Charles Pointe, a master-planned community that Genesis Partners is developing in Bridgeport. FFCU Chief Executive Officer Stanley A. Rittenhouse said construction will begin next spring. Alpha Associates, an architectural engineering firm located in Morgantown, will design the 11,000-square-foot two story building. With about $180 million in assets, FFCU is the second largest credit union in the West Virginia. Earlier this year H T Federal Credit Union of Bridgeport was merged into FFCU expanding FFCU’s service area to include Harrison and Taylor Counties. FFCU now provide serves Marion, Monongalia, Harrison and Taylor Counties. James A. Corton, managing partner of Genesis Partners, welcomed Fairmont Federal to Charles Pointe. "Having such a progressive financial institution here will be great for our community and great for the economy of the region," Corton said.. [More]

Press Release: Fairmont Federal Credit Union Will Build Facility at Charles Pointe BRIDGEPORT – Fairmont Federal Credit Union (FFCU) has announced plans to construct a full-service financial facility at Charles Pointe, a master-planned community being developed by Genesis Partners. FFCU Chief Executive Officer Stanley A. Rittenhouse said construction will begin next spring. "Our new building will have four drive-thru lanes and one drive-thru ATM machine that will be accessible 24 hours a day," Rittenhouse said. Alpha Associates, an architectural engineering firm located in Morgantown, will design the 11,000-square-foot two story structure. With approximately $180 million in assets, FFCU is the second largest credit union in the West Virginia. Earlier this year H T Federal Credit Union of Bridgeport was merged into FFCU expanding FFCU’s service area to include Harrison and Taylor Counties. FFCU can now provide services in Marion, Monongalia, Harrison and Taylor Counties. James A. Corton, managing partner of Genesis Partners, welcomed Fairmont Federal to Charles Pointe. "Having such a progressive financial institution here will be great for our community and great for the economy of the region," Corton said. "Charles Pointe is the perfect place for us to open a facility and serve this area. It is a superbly planned development that we fully expect to become one of the premier communities in the country," Rittenhouse said. Based in Marion County, Fairmont Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial organization owned and operated by its more than 34,000 members. FFCU employs over 125 persons at its ten locations in the tri-county region. The main office is at 401 Tenth St., Fairmont. For more information, call FFCU at 304-363-5320.. [More]

BRIDGEPORT – The Harrison County Commission Dec. 1 approved the tax increment financing district for Charles Pointe. The process, which began more than a year ago, opens the way for bonds to be sold supporting the $1 billion, 1,700-acre master-planned community off Interstate 79. A 15-to-20 year project, Charles Pointe will include residences, a "Downtown" with retail shops and restaurants, office parks, a conference center, hotels, schools and recreational and cultural facilities. What TIF district designation does is allow for the sale of bonds to support the construction of critical infrastructure. The bonds will be paid for over time by increased property tax revenues realized through the improvements. The long TIF process reflects the complexity of coordinating the needs of various stakeholders in the project – the developers, the city, the county and the state. The process already had been under way for some time when the city of Bridgeport and developers Genesis Partners spent several months last winter forging an agreement that would protect the city’s interests. "Residential areas never pay for provision of services," Bridgeport City Manager Kim Haws said. "If we take away property tax and put it into the TIF funds, and then all they develop out there is residential, we wouldn’t have the funds to pay for services." The county applied to the state after an agreement was reached and the city authorized the creation of a TIF district. But the state had a few concerns of its own. TIF fundamentally is intended to create jobs. With that in mind, the state removed from the TIF proposal the cost of residential and retail infrastructure, reducing the value of the TIF from an originally proposed $150-plus million to about $98 million. The TIF agreement plan finally approved last week by the state and then by Harrison County supports Charles Pointe’s commercial aspects, said Genesis Partners bond counsel Vince Collins of Steptoe & Johnson. "Basically, it includes the typical things: roads, relocation of existing utilities, installation of new utilities, signage," Collins said. The TIF is based on the assessed value of the property as of July 1, 2004: $4,207,833, according to Genesis Director of Development Rob Stuart. The taxes on that value will go each year as before to the school board, the city and the county. But the taxes on any increase in the assessed value as a result of new construction will go into a TIF fund, Collins explained. That fund may be used by the project for "pay as you go" construction or, as bonds are issued, to pay debt service on the bonds – all up to the approved total of about $98 million. Now that the TIF structure is in place, Bridgeport will annex parts of Charles Pointe that will benefit from infrastructure development and bonds may be sold. Collins said the amounts and timing of the bond issues are yet to be determined, but the first probably will come in 2006. Meanwhile, some construction already has been under way. A 116-room Wingate Inn opened its doors Nov. 1. The Bridgeport Conference Center is scheduled for completion next spring, Stuart said, and a Microtel Inn and Suites July 1. Twelve duplex residential units under construction by S&A Homes will be ready for occupancy early next year, with 48 townhouses to be constructed next. In addition, steelwork is complete on Petroleum Development Corp.’s 32,000-square foot corporate office building, scheduled to open in 2006. "We’re excited to see things going vertical," Stuart said. Gov. Joe Manchin acknowledged Charles Pointe’s value to the state and the jobs it will create at a ceremonial opening in August, noting the 17,000 construction jobs and 11,000 permanent jobs projected in an independent study. "(The governor) believes Charles Pointe is a prime example of how West Virginia has started to work together to bring about new opportunities," said Manchin communications director Lara Ramsburg of the creation of the TIF district. "…It’s a team effort between the private sector the developers, the state, the city and the county.". [More]

As the battle between United Hospital Center and Fairmont General Hospital went through countless legal hoops and several years of delay, the City of Bridgeport didn’t sit idly by. Instead, Bridgeport officials were busy getting things ready in the event UHC won the right to relocate a new facility in Bridgeport. Last week UHC won the lengthy legal battle. The West Virginia Supreme Court overturned a decision by Marion County Circuit Judge Fred Fox. Fox had earlier overruled rulings by the State Health Care Authority and an Office of Judges’ decision that UHC could build a multi-million-dollar facility here in Bridgeport. With the legal wrangling aside, United Hospital Center President Bruce Carter said the new hospital should open by November 2009. The hospital will be built on the southbound side of Interstate 79’s Jerry Dove Drive exit on property formerly known as White Oaks. During the last few years, Bridgeport officials haven’t done much in the way of infrastructure work, but they have done plenty of design and other prep work that will allow the project to begin when UHC is ready to move forward. "What we’ve done is the preparation work to upgrade the sewage lines," said City Engineer Tom Brown. "We have also worked with Hornor Brothers (Engineers) on the preliminary grading plans." The grading plans were being reviewed by Brown this week. Brown also said even though the design for the sewage line work still has to be done, everything is in place for that work to start. "We’ve laid the groundwork and are at the point where we’re prepared to go ahead and do the design for the sewage and begin construction," said Brown. "We have funding committed for the sewage upgrade." Although sewage is in place, the lines in place are eight-inch lines. The eight-inch lines can facilitate just about any type of development except for something the nature of a hospital. The new lines will be 12-inch gravity lines, with some variances. The city has a federal grant of $1 million available for the infrastructure work. The grant is a 60-40 grant and Brown said B&O construction dollars will help cover the city’s 40 percent matching requirement.. [More]

By Gary A. Harki – STAFF WRITER BRIDGEPORT – W.Va. 279, the road that connects U.S. 50 near Bridgeport with Interstate 79, is not as busy as it could be. But that appears likely to change. The road will provide access to Charles Pointe and to United Hospital Center when its move is complete. That is expected to happen in November 2009, UHC President Bruce Carter has said. "Time will prove whether building the road was right or wrong. But I would say at this point it is a good example of planning and development for future development," said Bridgeport Police Chief Jack Clayton. All of W.Va. 279 from U.S. 50 to I-79 is part of Bridgeport and patrolled by Bridgeport Police, Clayton said. In 2002, just after the $30 million, 2.8-mile highway opened, about 3,700 vehicles a day traveled over the road, said Greg Phillips, District 4 manager. Traffic is likely to have increased 10 percent since that time, he said.’ "A lot of people heading to Grafton and Taylor County use 279," said Don Williams, District 4 construction engineer. "It does save quite a bit of time." The bypass allows vehicles to avoid traffic by going around downtown Bridgeport, he said.’ "It has gradually become more heavily traveled," Clayton said. "For quite a while, people were not accustomed to using it. I think it has found its way on maps and things. There has been a steady increase in the volume of traffic." The peak traffic for the road in 2005 is 300 vehicles per hour, Phillips said. A traffic study done by UHC puts that peak traffic after the hospital is built at 409 vehicles per hour, he said. After the new hospital is built it is expected about 25 percent of UHC’s traffic would use W.Va. 279 from U.S. 50 to the hospital, Phillips said. "Any time you are talking about a quarter of the traffic coming from one direction, that is quite a bit of traffic," he said. W.Va. 279 was designed to hold more traffic than it currently handles, he said. There have been discussions about possibly putting a stop light at the road’s ramp with I-79 but that would be decided based upon how much traffic travels the road in the future, Phillips said. Speed limits may change on W.Va. 279, he said. W.Va. 279 also will cut right through Charles Pointe, which will add more traffic to the highway, Clayton said. It has not been the site of many accidents or other problems, but those are likely to increase as traffic increases, he said. That will require more of the Bridgeport Police Department’s attention and therefore more staff for the police in the future, he said. "As developments tend to expand, roads have to catch up," Clayton said. "This might be an example where a road system was well thought out and precedes development.". [More]

CLARKSBURG - Between major steps forward this summer by the developers of Charles Pointe and Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling clearing the way for a new United Hospital Center, Bridgeport could see a major boom over the next decade or more. "Anytime you have an investment that will approach $200 million and place jobs in a community, that becomes an economic engine," said Bridgeport Mayor Jim Christie, noting that the UHC jobs are not really new but still will add to Bridgeport’s economy. The true boost will be from ancillary businesses supporting UHC, since the hospital itself will not pay business and occupation taxes. However, Bridgeport will see money from special construction B&O while the facility is being built. UHC President Bruce Carter says the plan now is to maintain the Clarksburg Comprehensive Care Clinic, which is a mix of physicians’ offices and clinics. Once the new facility is built, the hospital will shift some administrative functions, such as billing and the business office, to the 4-Cs building as well. That will help save on space and some constructions costs for the new hospital, which are expected to balloon well past the initial $190 million estimate, thanks to about two years of court battles. Fairmont General Hospital appealed the original Health Care Authority approval, as well as a subsequent affirmation by an administrative law judge, UHC appealed a Marion County judge’s ruling overturning those approvals. The state Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed Circuit Judge Fred Fox’s decision, clearing the way for the new hospital. Also, the United Summit Center will remain on the campus, Carter said. That will leave three empty buildings – the hospital itself, the parking garage and the doctor’s office building. Even before the hospital’s move was approved several physicians and health care related businesses had inquired about available space at Charles Pointe, according to Bill Phillips Jr., spokesman for the planned community’s developer Genesis Partners. "And when I say becoming a part of the community, I mean office buildings and housing," Phillips said. "Some of them are looking at it regardless of what the hospital does." Although Charles Pointe has thousands of acres, much of the available opportunities are rapidly filling up, Phillips said. Part of that is because Charles Pointe is a planned community, meaning developers had a clear vision of what they wanted, from entertainment, retail and shopping to offices and housing – practically from the beginning. Still, UHC should be a boost fro Charles Pointe and an added incentive for anyone looking to relocate there, Phillips and Christie said. "With the new hospital, I think you’ll see a lot of doctors wanting to put offices there, I think you’ll see suppliers and vendors relocating there and I think you’ll se people who work there relocating there," Christies said. "I think you’ll see folks gravitating from southern Marion County, Taylor County and even other parts of Harrison County. "It’s almost like building a ball field in an old area of a big city. It becomes an economic engine and other businesses gravitate to it," Christie said. Even some Clarksburg officials are seeing a faint silver lining to the perceived black cloud of losing the hospital. City leaders say this makes the proposed U.S. 98 connector road even more important, as it will increase the development value of the land in that area and could help entice someone to find a reuse for the hospital building. In fact, the entire western part of Clarksburg is a priority for city Manager Martin Howe, who believes that is where Clarksburg must expand and develop. And the hospital leaving doesn’t change that, he said. "The conversation will be what their plans are for that building," Howe said. "If there’s any development out there, I think it will be a domino effect and keep bringing in more." As for the hospital’s plans, UHC already has contracted with McCabe-Henley to market the building. Carter says possible reuses could range from selling to a for-profit business to deeding it to a non-profit. But the bottom line is, the building will not sit empty for long, even if it has to be demolished, Carter said. In fact, the hope is that by beginning the marketing process with construction of the new hospital, a new tenant can be moving in the front door while UHC is leaving through the back. Carter plans to form a committee to include such interests as the city, county, development authority and hospital to determine the best possible use for the building and/or property. "Once it’s empty, it becomes a liability to everybody," he said, noting that even empty, UHC must maintain utilities. "The goal is to get a new hospital and (also) create jobs for Clarksburg," Carter said. "It sounds easy, but it won’t be easy. It’s a large building with a fairly unique design, so reuse is limited. Whoever comes in here is going to have to prepare for a certain amount of rehabilitation." Still, it’s not unprecedented. Carter said he visited a hospital in Norfolk, VA., that built a new facility nearby. The old hospital eventually wound up being converted into a community college. Regardless of what happens with the hospital, Howe said Clarksburg officials are committed to developing westward. "I think the city needs to plan and look ahead," he said. "What I’m trying to do now is talk to council about expanding and moving west. I think in the long run that will be a valuable piece of property out there to the west.". [More]

A headline in Friday's edition incorrectly said the Harrison County Comission had adjusted the Charles Pointe tax increment financing proposal. Although the comission is part of the approval process, the state Development Office made the TIF changes.. [More]

By Jim Fisher - METRO EDITOR CLARKSBURG – Harrison County commissioners on Thursday approved the state-modified tax increment financing district for Charles Pointe as well as the project plan. The state trimmed about $50-$60 million out of the TIF proposal dropping the total from $150-$160 million to nearly $97 million for the planned community project in Bridgeport. The cuts involved taking out infrastructure for retail and residential purposes, said Vince Collins, bond counsel for Charles Pointe developer Genesis Partners. Essentially, the state wants to limit TIF projects to things that will create jobs, Collins said. There was some fear that TIF could be overused in some parts of the state, he said. Although TIF rules do allow for retail and residential infrastructure, the state is planning to change that, Collins said. TIF was enacted when Commissioner Frank "Chunki" Angotti was serving in the Legislature. "Initially it was for blighted areas – old areas of downtown, for commercial projects to bring jobs," Angotti said. "No one ever ran to us and said they’d use it for housing." The cuts don’t jeopardize the project at all, Collins said. In fact, many of the things that were cut are projects slated for the later stages of the overall plan. Nothing in the beginning will be affected, he said. Of the $97 million, $16 million is earmarked for interest payments until the TIF fund generates enough money to make the payments, Collins said. Because of the nature of TIF, which sets aside a portion of increased property taxes after development to pay back the bonds, it takes a while for the fund to realize revenue. Also, $8 million is set aside as a reserve, or cushion, to protect the bondholders, Collins said. That is a normal condition of issuing bonds, he said. The assessed value of the property is locked in as of July 1, 2004. That means any subsequent increase in value from development is what is put into the TIF fund. "The idea is that these projects wouldn’t exist except for TIF," Collins said. "Without this, Charles Pointe would be a shadow of the plan." The next step is to actually issue the bonds, which should happen sometime next year, Collins said. Also Thursday, commissioners conditionally approved the sale of bonds to finance the new recreational complex at the 4-H Center on U.S. 19. The sale may be subject to a public hearing because a question about what kind of bonds to issue has been raised. Since there are a number of non-profit entities that will use the center, Collins (in this case bond counsel for the issuing bank) questioned whether government or 501 (c) 3 bonds should be issued. If the nonprofit bonds are to be issued, the hearing is neccessary, said Jim Christie of Comvest, the Bridgeport-based financial firm handling the sale.. [More]

Emerge magazine, a national telecommunications journal, is using Charles Pointe in Harrison County as an example for land developers throughout the country. Genesis Partners is developing the master-planned community near Bridgeport. "Charles Pointe is on track to achieve a win-win situation for the developer, service provider, customer and West Virginia’s economy – a feat that’s already attracting nationwide attention," Emerge magazine reported in its current issue. A photograph of James A. Corton, managing partner of Genesis Partners, and TelAtlantic Communications Chief Operating Officer Walter J. Burmeister appears on the journal’s cover. Inside is a story about Charles Pointe’s information network entitled "The All-Fiber Lifestyle." "Charles Pointe offers more than quality residences, a traditional downtown and outdoor and indoor recreation facilities. The new community’s design makes state-of-the art communication networks a built-in element of the Charles Pointe experience," the magazine reported. A fiber-to-the premise (FTTP) network will enable businesses to deliver voice, data and video services in such areas as entertainment, security, health care and energy management.. [More]