Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 15
OUR BLUE RIDGE TOWNS
we could just sit. So we rolled up our sleeves and figured
out how to get out of this mess.
" FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Authority)
came in right away. We knew that we needed assistance
dealing with a federal agency-so with help from the
Greenbrier management, we brought in a consultant so
we'd understand how to work with FEMA. "
" The consultant was crucial in our success working
with them, " says current Mayor Bruce Bowling. " The big
thing we learned was that everything we did had to be
thoroughly documented. "
" The people of White Sulphur came out in droves to
help, " says Haynes (who's now the city manager). " Folks
brought their grills downtown, and people brought the
food from their thawing freezers and refrigerators to
share. "
" We're in a unique situation, " Mayor Bowling says.
" The folks who own second homes up at the Greenbrier
Sporting Club went to bat for this town: They donated a
lot of money to bring back downtown and build houses.
Through word of mouth, they spread the word in their
networks-they were incredibly generous. "
(An aside: Standing at the western edge of White Sulphur
Springs, the Greenbrier Resort is a centuries-long
story worth knowing. For the most comprehensive telling,
pick up historian Robert S. Conti's " The History of
the Greenbrier. " )
" We knew right away that we had about 40 residents
whose homes were destroyed. With help from Greenbrier
folks, we went to work building new houses for
them, " Haynes says. " The
city donated land, the materials
were bought with
donations, and rotating
groups of Amish and Mennonites
came down to do
the building work, " Bowling
says.
When all was said and
done, 40 houses and an
apartment complex were
constructed.
" The first people moved
into their new homes on
Thanksgiving of 2016-
not even five months after
the flood, " Bowling says.
They named it Hope
Village, and it's a beautiful,
mountain-rimmed place.
Average cost of a house?
" We were able to sell them
for about $50,000, " Bowling
says.
" Once we finished Hope Village, we were determined
not to stop, " Haynes says. " Our downtown had gone
through a few decades of decline, and we had a lot of
empty storefronts. And when shops would come in, the
building owners raised rent to the point where the shops
couldn't afford to stay. Twenty years ago, there wasn't
much reason to come downtown. "
Now? White Sulphur Springs has a Main Street parking
problem-and they're in the process of building a
new pedestrian bridge across the river to connect shoppers
with burgeoning Main Street businesses. Store facades
have been renewed and small shops are opening.
Big Draft Brewing features live entertainment and draws
customers from all over the region. Barnwood Living
(Barnwood Builders' Mark Bowe lives in nearby Lewisburg)
is a much-visited home décor and apparel shop.
There's a fly fishing shop, a bakery and a lot of restaurants.
Main Street is busy-very busy.
But it's one block off Main Street where you'll find
the most recent (and spectacular) addition to White
Sulphur Springs: The Schoolhouse Hotel. Buying the
long-vacant, 1912 White Sulphur Springs High School
building, philanthropist and CEO of the Disability Opportunity
Fund Charles Hammerman came to town and
loved what he saw.
Haynes provides the details. " He and his wife came
down from Manhattan, looking for an area to invest in.
They'd been to a few other places in West Virginia-but
they fell in love with White Sulphur Springs. 'What do
you need?' they asked.
" We told him what we needed most was a hotel.
'Done,' he said. "
The Schoolhouse Hotel is the only hotel in the world
in which every room exceeds ADA requirements. In the
lobby, school memorabilia hangs side by side with local
art. And from the rooftop bar, a 360-degree blue-sky
view of the mountains and a thriving downtown makes
you very glad you're in this comeback town.
Any visit to WSS needs to include a stop at the memorial
to the eight residents who lost their lives in the 2016
flood. Constructed of local materials as an Eagle Scout
project, the shaded arched walkway is built of native
stone, inset with the names and birthdates of the victims.
This memorial makes you want to sit a while, and appreciate
a place like White Sulphur Springs. In the wake
of what was called " one of the worst natural disasters
in West Virginia history, " this town was compassionate
enough to build its displaced residents affordable new
homes; savvy enough to successfully apply for complex
government funding; and skilled enough to work with
high-dollar investors for the benefit of their downtown.
No doubt City Manager Lloyd Haynes knows whereof
he speaks when he says, " Come back and see us in five
years. You ain't seen nothin' yet! "
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 15
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 3
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 4
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 5
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 6
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 7
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - 8
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Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2023 - Cover4
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