>>DONALD MARTIN: Brownfield sites can be found throughout the state. They're basically what we consider
either under utilized or
unutilized sites
that are sitting fallow in different communities.
>>NARRATION: That's Donald Martin with the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection's Office of Environmental Remediation.
>>MARTIN: Most of the properties we're describing
are sites that are
valuable sites because of their location. That's why they were
originally developed
and that's what makes them so
attractive for redevelopment.
Some of the henderances have been, if nothing else, the preception of contamination.
>>NARRATION: And that's what brought representatives from cities and towns from all across
West Virginia to a recent Brownfields Conference in Morgantown.
Brownfields redevelopment helps bring blighted properties back into productive use
and representatives at the conference had the opportunity to network with
others and attend presentations ranging from site assessment to grant writing and
financing options to community branding.
The conference is put on every year by the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers.
The Assistance Centers are located at West Virginia University serving the
state's northern and eastern counties and at Marshall University serving communities
in the southern and western counties.
Turning a brownfield site back into a community asset is often
a complicated process,
and that's where the Assistance Centers come in.
>>George Carrico: It is a huge undertaking, without question.
What we try to do is to help play that role of helping them through that whole
process. It is a mind boggling process especially when you get into some of
your real advanced, really
highly contaminated projects to try to figure out what to do with them.
>>NARRATION: The West Virginia Department of Environment Protection offers a voluntary remediation program which
seeks to identify and address potential contamination at a given site.
It also sets site cleanup standards and makes sure the site maintains those standards.
>>MARTIN: The risk based cleanups are to
address the contaminants and concerns that might associated with the site
and utilize
cleanup -- physical cleanup and or
engineering or land use controls
to allow the property
to be utilized. >>NARRATION: It also takes planning and community involvement.
>>CARRICO: So many communities, it's simply a matter of
well, if we could just get money to get rid of some of these old eyesores then we'll
do something.
Well, we need to go a lot further than that. We need to come up with a vision, a plan for redevelopment.
What does that community need?
>>NARRATION: And that sometimes means taking a hard look in the mirror
>>CARRICO: You look at what's there.
What's the available infrastructure that's still there that can still be reused?
What's the property there?
What are the reuse potentials for it?
Take the things off the table that really don't fit an then try to figure out what
would be the best for you for those properties and work toward that end
>>NARRATION: Ronceverte, West Virginia was once a center of the timber industry in Greenbriar County
and a regional rail hub (SOUND OF TRAIN RUSHING PAST)
These days the trains don't stop in
Ronceverte and and much of the former commercial and industrial center sits empty and abandonded.
But Ronceverte is a community with a plan.
>>DOUG HYLTON: It started with a redevelopment of downtown
and looking at other expansions and annexations, but that brownfield piece was still there.
So we took the opportunity of applying for an EPA Brownfield grant. We received it
and that has started our efforts with looking old industrial sites.
Ronceverte's Brownfields Area Revitalization Masterplan sees the
future of the city as a regional recreation and arts destination.
Part of that plan builds on two of the community's strengths: its location along the scenic
Greenbriar River
and its large community park
>>PAMELA STEVENS: The park itself is not brownfield site but there are
brownfield sites that surround it
so we're kind of
focusing on those brownfield sites that are in close proximity to be able to utilize
those or tie those into
the park usage perhaps.
>>NARRATION: Right now the town is conducting a feasibility study about creating an aquatic
recreation center to replace the now closed
community pool at one of two brownfield sites. The plan also calls for the
rehabilitation of the now closed Chestnut Street Bridge for pedestrian and bicycle
use to connect the downtown to the park.
It also calls for transferring ownership of the historic C&O railroad depot
from C-S-X to the city of Ronceverte for for restoration and reuse as a restaurant
farmers market and public gathering place.
The city recently took ownership of the former Lewisburg Wholesale building --
one of the sites being considered for the aquatic center.
Other potential uses are multi-family housing and artist space for crafts like
pottery, ironworking or glass making. It's an ambitious plan that's already showing results.
More than a dozen new businesses have moved into town
and city leaders are seeing a change. >>STEVENS: With the finances of a plan like this
it's could take us 20, 25, 30 years
before we are able to
do all of these projects but
again this is a roadmap and it gives us a common goal
so that everybody...
everybody in the community is on board and says
yes, this is what we need. This is what we want. We will all work towards
this specifically. Even if this plan never comes to fruition entirely -- and parts of it will.
Even if the entire thing doesn't
come to fruition, the fact it changed the attitude of a lot of people
in town is priceless and that is what this plan does. It really fosters that
sense of hope
and uh... it really brings the community back together to say hey we still have
potential here. >>HYLTON ...And we found specifically with
coming up with our planning and development that this allows us then to
apply for grants because it shows that we we've done this site preparation
and everything.
Yeah, I'd liked to have seen everything happen overnight but it didn't happen
that way.
But we are seeing the results of the being patient,
of thinking things out and working together as a team and with other
partners to help make our development. >>NARRATION: To learn more about the West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection's Voluntary Remediation Program,
please visit our website.
Additional information about working with brownfield properties can be found
at the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance site
w_v_ brownfields dot org.