The Highlands Has Grown Up

Fifteen years ago, when I first moved to Wheeling, I had to go to Ohio to get a lot of the necessary things for my house, the one that I actually shared with Jamie Bordas when the two of us were bachelors. There were a couple of items that we could purchase at businesses in Wheeling, including some couches I still have, and a washer and dryer that eventually went with Jamie. But many things were simply not available in Wheeling at the time. A lot of that shopping had to be done in Ohio, at the Ohio Valley Mall.

That has really changed in 15 years and the Highlands in Ohio County has been one big change for the better. The dozens of businesses that have sprung up in The Highlands are a great credit to our Ohio County Commissioners and the leadership that they showed in developing the area. By working with major occupants like Cabela’s, along with a host of smaller operations, the County Commission established a site in Ohio County that produces commerce and tax revenue to improve our county, keeping money in and bringing money to our State.

People complain a lot about government, and I suppose I’m no exception. So it’s important to give a pat on the back when our public servants do something right. There was little to speak of on those properties 15 years ago – people called it a road to nowhere – and a lot of business for Ohio County was indeed “going down the road.” With foresight, determination, hard work, hundreds of folks now have jobs here in our county, and, at any given time, thousands of people are at The Highlands shopping, eating, banking and contributing to progress in the area. Randy Whorton, Dave Sims (now Judge Sims), Greg Stewart, Tim McCormick and their staff deserve a lot of credit for that work.

It’s a difference so large you can see it from space: