HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — After a 21-year saga that ended up in court, the city of Huntington and Huntington Marine Services Inc. are close to starting a new chapter together on the Ohio River project they hope will yield a $100 million investment.
City Council will hear the first reading of an ordinance Monday allowing Mayor Steve Williams to enter into a lease agreement with Riverwalk LLC, previously Huntington Marine Services, involving plans to develop facilities at Harris Riverfront Park.
The city and Huntington Marine Services had been in a longstanding court dispute over events dating back to 1994 and involving Huntington Marine Services’ right to build a barge mooring facility in Westmoreland. The city had blocked that plan, then settled with the company in 2014. The city and Riverwalk have negotiated an operating agreement as part of the settlement, and it produced the development plan along the river at the park.
Attorney Steve Nord, who has represented the city in the lawsuit, said a settlement usually comes with mixed feelings, but he was extremely happy to share the details with the City Council on this case…
