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Preston Vision Group Eyes Beefed-Up Internet Access

Posted on: Thursday, 6 April 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Kathy Plum, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

Apr. 6--INFO about participating in the Preston County Visioning Committee, contact the Preston County Chamber of Commerce at 329-0576 or www.prestonchamber.com. The next meeting will be 6 p.m. May 25 at the Preston EDA offices in Kingwood.

KINGWOOD -- Preston County's future could include more broadband Internet access and a way for county residents to earn technology certificates and associate degrees without leaving the county.

These are two of the projects envisioned by the Preston County Community Visioning Committee.

The committee formed last year to develop a plan for the future, devised by Preston County residents. It held community meetings and conducted surveys on paper and online surveys for further input, said Kathy Casseday, director of the Preston Chamber of Commerce.

Casseday announced Wednesday that the group is working to achieve some of the community's goals.

Casseday cited education as an example. She and other Preston County representatives met with Fairmont State University officials last week to discuss creating technology-certificate and associate -degree programs in Preston County.

"That came as a direct result of the employers saying we need a skilled workforce, and the kids saying if we had jobs, we'd like to stay here," Casseday said.

Right now, the group is asking local businesses what kind of training they need for their employees. Wood products, phlebotomy, mining and welding are some of the programs mentioned so far, she said.

Casseday and Robbie Baylor, director of the Preston Economic Development Authority, plan to meet with local broadband Internet providers to expand service. Currently, only about one-third of Preston County has broadband access, something residents told her is not only a personal inconvenience, it also would hold back economic development, she said.

The community meetings and surveys also inspired the group to create three committees to concentrate on the areas people said most need addressed. Jennifer Bonnette and Janice Cool co-chair the education committee, Shirley Hartley and Keith Pitzer the beautification committee, and Baylor the jobs creation committee.

They plan to work with what's available, not reinvent it.

"Some areas have already started some projects, so we don't want to replow that ground," Hartley said.

All three committees are seeking members. To get involved, contact the committee chair or the Preston Chamber of Commerce.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.)

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