EPA Officials Celebrate Major Milestones in the City of Huntington

EPA Officials Celebrate Major Milestones in the City of Huntington

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams took to the mound of Marshall’s University’s new baseball stadium to welcome EPA Region 3 Administrator Adam Ortiz on a recent visit to Huntington. The $23 million project is built on multiple brownfield sites and will be the long-awaited and much anticipated home of the Thundering Herd’s baseball team. Ortiz said, “Brownfield redevelopment is where it’s at. Many of the places, like the buildings that used to stand here, were developed right in the center of the community. They were connected by roads, river and rail but became blighted and abandoned. Brownfield revitalization work brings these properties back to life in the communities where they really need it.”

The field is named for one of Marshall’s most successful baseball coaches, Jack Cook and is built on multiple parcels that are former brownfields. Part of the field sits on a portion of the former ACF Industries site where railcars were manufactured for more than 130 years. The western portion of the stadium is built on land that saw a variety of uses over the decades, including a furniture manufacturing facility, an electric fan manufacturing business, a toy warehouse, a pesticide and chemical formulator facility and most recent as a metal salvaging yard. All of which pose a unique set of environmental hurdles to redevelopment.

The new 3,500-seat stadium is located on Second Avenue and 22nd Street in Huntington. It’s a major investment from the Marshall University Athletic Department who want to turn the space into a hub for local and regional sports fans. With the softball facility sitting beside the new field and the football stadium less than a block south, the area is poised to become a year-round destination.  

The duo also attended and spoke at a press event at the Mayor Joseph L. Williams, Jr. Fire Station facility in the Fairfield neighborhood. Ortiz highlighted the new station as a testament to the importance of brownfield redevelopment in reviving a neighborhood. Built on the site of a former gas station and dry cleaner, the fire station project has cleaned up a local environmental concern and brought new resources to the area.  Mayor Williams spoke about the legacy of the city’s Black History, from Carter G. Woodson, the Father of Black History Month; to Joseph L. Williams, Jr., the city’s first Black mayor and namesake of the new fire station. The former Mayor Williams was also present and spoke about his time in office.

WV Brownfields Assistance Center Director George Carico announced Huntington’s recent award of $500,000 from EPA for additional brownfield assessment and redevelopment planning. Local officials have identified eight target brownfields throughout the city which have yet to be revitalized. This new grant will provide the steppingstones to restoring these blighted properties and bringing them back into safe and productive use for Huntington’s communities.