Jefferson County Development Authority
The JCDA is the local governmental board that played a major role in bringing Rockwool to our community. They are currently working to approve a multi-million dollar bond to construct a water line to the proposed Rockwool site. The JCDA is also going to create something called a "synthetic lease" for Rockwool that allows the company to pay little to no property taxes for years to come; details can be found in the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) Agreement.
JCDA Staff:
- Nicolas H. Diehl, Executive Director
- Jane Jones, Administrative Assistant
- Lyn Goodwin, Program Manager
- Matthew Coffey, Business Coach
The JCDA Authority Board of Directors:
Eric Lewis, President, Ours, Lawyer, Lewis & Company, PLLCMike Chapman, Vice President, Royal VendorsHarry Wilkins, Secretary/Treasurer, American Public UniversityAnnette Gavin Bates, Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau- Andy Blake, City of Ranson
Daniel Casto, Atwill, Troxell & Leigh, P.C.- Daryl Hennessy, City of Charles Town
Ben Martz, Shepherd University- Neil McLaughlin, WVU Healthcare
Howard Mills, Town of Shepherdstown- Peter Onoszko, Jefferson County Commission Liason
- Tony Roberts, Long and Foster Real Estate
Jim Ruland, RAI Properties, LLCMichael Shepp, RetiredSteve Stolipher, Jefferson County Planning Commission- Scott Sudduth, Jefferson County Board of Education Liaison
- Lyle Tabb, Lyle C. Tabb and Sons, Inc.
- Karan Townsend, Town of Harpers Ferry
Laura Whittington, Town of Bolivar- Julia Yuhasz, Hospice of the Panhandle
UPDATE: On Tuesday, November 7, 2018, the JCDA was set to vote on the water bond at their 1 p.m. meeting; the meeting was abruptly canceled just hours before the meeting was to take place. On Friday, November 10, RESIGNATION LETTERS were submitted by 12 of the 21 members of the board.
For the time being, Neil McLaughlin has been appointed to the position of vice-president and Gary Kable will be serving as the secretary/treasurer.
According to the Jefferson County Development Authority, "the ultimate goal of the JCDA is to improve the quality of life for all Jefferson County residents by developing and promoting exclusive commercial opportunities for new and expanding businesses." The very last goal/objective of the JCDA's Strategic Plan is: "support community initiatives/projects that impact economic vitality and quality of life." Going forward, we encourage the board to focus on community outreach, promote transparency, and make "improving the quality of life for all residents" the guiding force behind their consequential decisions.
The Board meets the third Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. in the large conference room at the Public Services Building, 1948 Wiltshire Rd., Kearneysville.
Board meeting minutes and agendas (dating back to 2013) can be found here.