Though West Virginia is known for its peaceful and serene country scenery, nestled in several of its mountains are communities fighting blighted and dilapidated structures that significantly damage that pristine image.
“Honestly, it’s been an issue for a long time,” said Luke Elser, project manager of the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at West Virginia University. “In West Virginia, it feels like a lot of communities and the citizens themselves have begun to address this by saying, ‘This problem needs to be solved, and we need to solve it as a community.’”
Elser feels optimistic West Virginia’s communities are moving in the right direction.
“There is rehab happening all over the state,” he said. “Each community is approaching it differently. The solutions that may work in Charleston might not work in the Northern Panhandle or other parts of the state.”
Broadening Spectrum
Previously, the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center focused its efforts on brownfield sites that once housed commercial properties, abandoned glass factories and other environmental hazards. However, the center has since broadened the spectrum of blighted properties it services.“We’ve been working with these communities to look at revitalization of these dilapidated buildings, looking at residential and commercial properties in the dilapidated downtown areas,” Elser said. “We’re working on removing the worst, most dangerous structures, working to fix the ones that we don’t have to tear down, so that we get the vacant properties back to a productive use.”To do so, the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center started a BAD (Blighted, Abandoned and Dilapidated) Buildings program.
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Northern Brownfields Assistance Center at WVU Project Inventory Map
In the midst of all this uncertainty, one thing remains steady for the NBAC staff: our commitment to our projects, communities, and partners. We miss interacting with you and visiting your sites and events, but we remain hard at work and available to you as needed.
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EPA Announces 2015 RFP for Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grants
EPA is announcing the availability of funding to eligible entities who wish to develop an area-wide plan for brownfields assessment, cleanup, and subsequent reuse. This funding is for research, ...
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Brownfields Assistance Center Accepting Applications for Technical Assistance Grants to Eradicate BAD Buildings
Communities throughout the Mountain State trying to eradicate abandoned, vacant and dilapidated buildings may apply for technical assistance awards through the Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at West ...
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