Manchin Recommends Inclusion of $1 Million Earmark to WVLSC for Dilapidated Buildings Program

Senator Manchin requested $1,000,000 in HUD Economic Development Initiative grant funds be allocated to the WVLSC this session. WVLSC will use the money to establish the Rehabilitation And Improvement for Structures Endowment (RAISE) Program, through which it will issue grants to communities throughout West Virginia to demolish or rehabilitate buildings. This pilot program is part of WVLSC’s ongoing work with West Virginia’s Abandoned Properties Coalition, a statewide stakeholder network dedicated to solving West Virginia’s widespread abandoned and dilapidated buildings problem. The funding is subject to approval by the Senate when they pass the final budget this fall.

Reuse Plan Created for Former Albright Power Plant and Surrounding Area

Using funds from a Just Transition Fund Grant, the WVLSC convened a task force to consider options for reusing the former Albright Power Plant property. The Task Force includes Friends of the Cheat, the Preston County Economic Development Authority, the Mountaineer Country Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Northern Brownfields Assistance Center. Together we created a reuse plan for the area that envisions repurposing the power plant site, removing the adjacent dam, and creating new opportunities and amenities for outdoor recreation nearby.

RFQ Issued for Smokestacks Property

This summer the WVLSC issued a Request for Quotation for a remediation contractor to clean up a 2.31-acre parcel known as the Smokestacks Property in the Morgantown Industrial Park. The project is funded by a $500,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Cleanup Grant. Construction will begin this fall.

Technical Assistance Provided to the City of Martinsburg for Historic Textile Mill

Thanks to a FOCUS grant from the Northern Brownfields Assistance Center, the WVLSC helped the City of Martinsburg assemble and summarize environmental reports for a former textile manufacturing facility known as Interwoven Mills. Located in the in the heart of downtown in what’s known as the Boomtown Historic District, the site is a prime location for a mixed-use development and has attracted the attention of multiple developers. The WVLSC’s technical assistance helped calculate rehabilitation costs and determine what environmental assessments are still needed to eliminate the uncertain cost of redeveloping the property.

We’re Hiring!

Are you an innovative thinker who wants to make a difference in West Virginia’s future? Are you interested in repurposing formerly used properties to improve local communities? The West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation seeks its next Executive Director to lead its statewide revitalization efforts. To read the full job posting, click here.