The Town of Alderson has been selected as one of seven candidates with a population under 1,500 in the 2015 “Turn This Town Around” contest sponsored by West Virginia Focus, WV Public Broadcasting, and the WV Community Development Hub. The winner will be determined by on-line voting with one vote per computer address. Please go to http://ttta.wvfocus.com/2014/11/14/2015-turn-this-town-around-voting/ to vote for Alderson.
The winning town will receive a wide variety of support as citizens come together to identify ways they can improve their community and their economy. Communities will receive training and hands-on assistance in planning and implementing projects to beautify their towns, revitalize their downtowns, build new businesses, and diversify their economies. In addition, each community will have access to additional resources they can only receive through Turn This Town Around, including technical assistance from a numerous agencies and organizations from across the state.
The inaugural issue of WV Focus magazine featured the two towns selected last year – Matwan and Grafton. Numerous groups throughout the state have been working with those communities during the last year. As a publication dedicated to West Virginia businesses, it seemed natural that this magazine would want to help West Virginia towns and cities develop and grow and they are among the partners sponsoring this year’s contest.
Online voting began Dec. 2, and continues through the end of the day on Dec. 9. It is important that people who care about Alderson and the Greenbrier Valley vote. Mayor Travis Copenhaver said, “Please vote for Alderson and ask all your friends and neighbors to vote as well. Use social media to spread the word and get us votes from all over the country. Winning this contest, with the professional development help it brings, will be a tremendous boost to all the things we are already doing.”
