Arthurdale Heritage Awarded 2010 FOCUS Grant

Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. has received a $5,000 grant through the 2010 FOCUS WV Brownfields program to address barriers to redevelopment of the Arthurdale school buildings.

According to Sarah Barnes, President of Arthurdale Heritage, “The Arthurdale Revitalization Project seeks to conduct a community needs assessment and redevelopment visioning effort to create a revitalization plan for the Arthurdale school buildings”.

The Foundation for Overcoming Challenges and Utilizing Strengths (FOCUS) West Virginia Brownfields program funds were awarded to Arthurdale Heritage by the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers through funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The program provides financial and technical assistance enabling communities in West Virginia to create a redevelopment vision for brownfield properties of strategic community interest.

The Arthurdale Revitalization Project was one of only 11 projects awarded statewide to receive a 2010 FOCUS WV Brownfields grant.

Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties that have not been redeveloped due to real or perceived environmental barriers. Examples of brownfields include former gas stations, glass factories, machine shops, manufacturing and processing facilities, dry cleaners, and mine scarred lands.

Sera Zegre, FOCUS WV Program Manager says, “The Arthurdale Revitalization Project provides an initial stepping stone for revitalization efforts in this New Deal Community, initiating redevelopment progress and community involvement.”

The program was funded through a grant from the Benedum Foundation through the WVU Foundation, a private non-profit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for West Virginia University.  Information about the FOCUS WV Brownfields Program can be found at www.wvbrownfields.com.  The Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center is located at the West Virginia Water Research Institute, at WVU’s National Research Center for Coal & Energy; the WV Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University is located in the Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences.

Arthurdale Heritage will be releasing information about community surveys and visioning meetings within the next few months.  We hope that everyone in the Arthurdale community will participate in this process to provide us with a clear vision for the Arthurdale School buildings.