May 18, 2006
 
Rahall Announces $600,000 in Brownfields Grants for Southern WV
 
By HNN Staff
 
Washington, DC (HNN) -- U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall D-WV announced Wednesday, May 17, 2006 that three southern West Virginia applicants have been awarded brownfields grants from the Environmental Protection Agency. Those being awarded grants are: Barboursville, WV; the West Virginia Region I Planning and Development Council of southern West Virginia, and the Wyoming Economic Development Authority.
 
"I congratulate all of those who have been awarded grants," Rahall said. "This is an important step in our efforts to build a better, safer West Virginia for all its residents. I look forward to continuing to work with these communities as they put their money to good use."
 
Barboursville has been awarded $200,000 for a brownfield cleanup grant. The funds will be used to conduct community outreach activities, and clean up and develop reuse plans for the approximately 20-acre former Barboursville Brickyard on Peyton Street. Cleanup will include removal of impacted media, installation of engineering controls and implementation of land use and groundwater restrictions. Soil and groundwater at the site are contaminated with petroleum products and hazardous substances as a result of 75 years of brick manufacturing at the now mostly vacant property.
 
"Mayor Turman and the Village of Barboursville realize the need to redevelop the abandoned brickyard property, which is currently an eyesore and potential health hazard in their thriving, growing community," Rahall said.
 
"Their vision of turning this idle property into needed housing and a community park is a commitment to increasing the quality of life for the people in their community. The Southern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University looks forward to continuing our partnering efforts to help them bring this vision to reality".
 
A $200,000 grant to the Wyoming County Economic Development Authority will be used to conduct community involvement activities, identify sites, perform at least five Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments and prepare cleanup plans for mine-scarred areas in the Wyoming County portion of the Upper Guyandotte Watershed.
 
"In working closely with the people of the Rural Appalachian Improvement League and the Wyoming County Economic Development Authority, it's easy to see their clear-cut desire and commitment toward aggressively turning mine-scarred lands into productive, quality properties that will attract new business, new investment and new opportunity in their communities," Rahall said.
 
A grant of $200,000 has also been awarded to the West Virginia Region I Planning and Development Council. The funds will be used to assess brownfields sites in McDowell County and provide the county with a means to support redevelopment, which will generate employment opportunities, improve the local tax base and create new greenspace that will promote a more vibrant community.
 
"WV Region I tried for three years to get brownfield assessment dollars for the McDowell County area, and their persistence has finally paid off," Rahall said. "I'm confident their 'don't give up' attitude will also prove worthwhile throughout this project as they strive to assist McDowell County in bringing new life and new opportunities into their once-thriving communities."
 
Dr. Tony Szwilski, Director, Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences (CEGAS) and Director, Southern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, said the grants are the culmination of a united effort and looks forward to continued success in the area of brownfields redevelopment.
 
"These grants are one example of how the Southern Brownfields Assistance Center (SBAC) at Marshall University is working very closely and effectively with our cities and communities to bring 'brownfields' back to productive use and make a significant contribution to the economic development of the region," Szwilski said. "George Carico, the coordinator for the SBAC, is working diligently hand-in-hand with our community stakeholders to inform and guide them through the EPA grant applications and follow-up activities.
 
With the support of Congressman Rahall and others the SBAC at Marshall University will continue to fulfill the intent of the innovative legislation written by Senator Plymale and his colleagues that established the Brownfields Assistance Center in 2005.
 
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.