Grant Received to Provide Technical Assistance for Martinsburg’s Interwoven Mills Site

The WVLSC received a grant from the Northern Brownfields Assistance Center to provide technical assistance to the City of Martinsburg on a 7.16-acre former textile manufacturing facility known as Interwoven Mills. Located in the Boomtown Historic District, the site is a prime location for a mixed-use development. The property contains 17 buildings in various states of disrepair, several of which contain asbestos and other contaminants left from the site’s prior use as a large textile mill. While developers have expressed interest in rehabbing the property, the unknown cost of environmental cleanup has stalled purchase negotiations. The WVLSC will assemble and summarize existing environmental reports, help the City fund and complete any additional assessments that are needed, and calculate rehabilitation costs. With those in hand, both the City and interested developers will be better positioned to maximize this historic property’s full potential.

Conservation Program Kicks Off with Acceptance of Two Bat Easements and Agreement with WVDEP’s In Lieu Fee Program

This Spring Allstar Ecology transferred two bat easements to WVLSC for long-term stewardship. Allstar completed the mitigation projects as compensation for damages caused by a gas company’s development in Doddridge County. The two properties provide roosts and houses for bats and are protected in perpetuity by conservation easements that prevent future development or interference with the preserved bat habitat. The WVLSC will monitor the properties each year and manage the endowment funds set aside to fund long-term stewardship.

This winter the WVLSC also entered into an agreement with the WV Department of Environmental Protection’s In Lieu Fee Program to serve as the long-term steward of the mitigation projects they construct. The WVLSC will monitor and maintain these projects, which are on both public and private land, and will serve as the easement holder for those that are protected by conservation easements.

RFQ to be Issued for Smokestacks Property this Spring

Last summer the WVLSC was awarded a $500,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Cleanup Grant to remediate the 2.31-acre parcel known as the Smokestacks Property in the Morgantown Industrial Park. On February 24th, the WVLSC made the required Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives available for public comment at the Morgantown Public Library and on its website, www.wvlsc.org. We will issue a phased request for proposals for demolition and cleanup at the conclusion of the 30-day comment period. Contractors will remove contaminated materials associated with the property’s former use as a water treatment plant and coal-fired power plant and prepare the site for redevelopment. Once remediation is completed, Enrout plans to build a loading and storage facility on the site to make transferring commodities hauled in by train more efficient.

Just Transition Fund Planning Continues for Albright

Last year the WVLSC received a grant of Just Transition Fund funds from the Northern Brownfields Assistance Center to create a strategic plan for the redevelopment of the former Albright Power Plant property in Preston County. The goal of the plan is to work with local stakeholders to plan for reuse of the property that promotes local businesses and recreational tourism. We convened a team consisting of Friends of the Cheat, the Preston County Economic Development Authority, and the Mountaineer Country Convention & Visitors Bureau. Although the public meetings we planned to hold to solicit input and ideas were delayed by the pandemic, we continue to engage with our stakeholder team. This spring we will obtain a conceptual rendering to depict possible improvements on and around the property, including nearby recreational opportunities, and develop strategies to ensure these changes complement and enhance one another.

EPA Assessment Grant Funds Asbestos Abatement Plan for Historic Morgantown Post Office

Last summer the WVLSC used funds from its EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant to conduct a lead and asbestos survey at the Historic Morgantown Post Office in downtown Morgantown. The building is home to both the Morgantown Arts Center and Your Community Foundation and has various structural issues due to its age. After our consultants found asbestos in the building, we used additional funds from our Assessment Grant to put together an Asbestos Abatement Workplan to remove the materials safely.

This winter we continued connecting with local communities who might benefit from assessment funds, including the City of Westover. Additional funds remain available for qualified projects. More information about these funds is available on our website.