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Whitman and Capito visit local brownfields site
Release Date: 10/4/2002
Contact Information: DAvid Sternberg 215-814-5548
Contact: David Sternberg 215-814-5548
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman today joined Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito and other government officials to tour a brownfields site in West Virginia This event will celebrate progress to date and show EPA’s continued support for future redevelopment efforts in the Charles Town/Ranson transportation corridor immediately adjacent to the central business districts of both cities, as highlighted by a former Maytag property's future transformation into a local sports/civic center.
“The grant EPA awarded to the City of Ranson, in partnership with the City of Charles Town is designed to help the people of this area reclaim this property,” said Whitman. “It represents a true partnership between Washington and the people of Ranson and Charles Town- a partnership that recognizes that local people usually know best what their communities need to succeed.”
“West Virginians want to see thriving businesses and open recreational areas when they look outside their windows,” said Rep. Capito. “Both can occur in a harmonious balance if we are careful, responsible and smart.”
In recognition of the support provided the community’s efforts by Congresswoman Capito and Whitman, local officials will present them “Keys to the Cities.”
Working in partnership, the two cities in the Eastern panhandle of West Virginia have begun the process of reclaiming several abandoned and potentially contaminated properties in their shared downtown area. The Pilot will help officials develop two local transportation corridors into a “Commerce Corridor” that will support walking trails, a recreational area for the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson County, professional office space, a business/technology park, and light industry. The Maytag property’s redevelopment into the Ranson Civic Center is situated within this Commerce Corridor. EPA funding will support the completion of environmental assessments on this property and the finalization of a redevelopment plan.
Brownfields are abandoned, idled or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
The Charles Town/Ranson project is part of EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative, a national program designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, and safely clean up Brownfields to promote their sustainable reuse.
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