W.Va. Hosts ARC Conference

During its fall conference in Charleston, the Appalachian Regional Commission released a report Thursday touting multi-fold returns on its investments in water, sewer, telecommunications and economic development projects.

The Associated Press has details from the study and the meeting of the agency assigned to aid the 13-state Appalachian region. Not all the news was good: a separate study estimates Appalachia needs $40 billion to provide basic drinking water and sewage services to all its residents.

West Virginia is no stranger to inadequate, outmoded or overwhelmed wastewater treatment systems, as The State Journal reports this week.

Gov. Joe Manchin is the commission's state co-chairman, and helped preside over the fall conference. Decrying the role neglect has played in the region's water and sewer woes, Manchin cited the $167 million price tag on repairing and restoring the state Capitol Complex.

The Charleston Daily Mail focuses today on one big item on that to-do list: the Oshel B. Craigo parking garage, which needs $3.9 million to remedy the lack of a maintenance plan.

"It's going to cost nearly as much to repair the parking garage at the state Capitol Complex as it did to build it eight years ago," the Daily Mail reports.

Update: Public Broadcasting also has a story on the ARC conference, with audio.