BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

MILLERS CREEK, W.Va. — The Mingo County Redevelopment Authority has reached an agreement to sell its Millers Creek Warehouse building along U.S. 52 near Nolan. The board of directors agreed to a lease-to-own arrangement with Grace Equipment, a Kentucky-based mining equipment company.

The MCRA board of directors announced the sale during its Feb. 26 regular meeting.

MCRA Executive Director Greta Curry said Grace Equipment builds, repairs and sells mining equipment in several states.

Under the lease-purchase contract, the company will buy the building for $325,000 with monthly payments of $4,100 over eight years at 5% interest.

“The sale of the Millers Creek Warehouse is a win for Mingo County. It means new jobs, new industry, and continued momentum for economic growth,” Curry said. “Grace Equipment’s investment will bring new activity to the facility, which will once again contribute to our local economy. It’s always exciting to see a building like this return to productive use and support business growth in our community.”

Grace Equipment owner Randy Workman said his company is currently based at Slaters Branch in Pike County, Kentucky, just across the state line. It has outgrown its present location and needs more space.

Once the Millers Creek facility is operational, Workman said he expects to add 10 to 15 jobs to the 17 employees he already has at the Kentucky location. He said annual salaries for those positions would range from $50,000 to $70,000.

The Millers Creek Warehouse contains about 45,000 square feet of space.

Workman said the property will require upgrades before operations can begin, including installing three-phase power to run some of the company’s equipment.