Dilapidated Buildings Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

State Grants Money To Tear Down Dilapidated Structures

Nearly 1,300 dilapidated properties are slated to be torn down across 69 communities in the state. This comes through the second phase of the state’s Reclamation of Abandoned and Dilapidated Properties Program.

Gov. Jim Justice and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the funding Wednesday. It totals more than $15.6 million.

“These funds are helping move West Virginia in the right direction,” Justice said. “This funding provides the rocket boost needed to propel us forward, because we are tearing down what’s holding us back and making way for what’s to come.”

To determine which projects to fund, the DEP sent surveys to all 55 counties and to all incorporated municipalities in West Virginia. It received responses from 43 counties and 124 municipalities.

The funding will reimburse communities for expenses related to the demolition. The money for this program comes from the American Rescue Plan Act.

“This program is about more than just tearing down old buildings – it’s about building up our communities, making them safer, and preparing them for future productive use,” said DEP Cabinet Secretary Harold Ward. “We’re not just clearing away the old; we’re laying the foundation for the new.”

The DEP will administer the funding and is committed to providing technical assistance and support throughout the execution of these projects. Selected communities will have 12 months to spend their budgeted amount, with the possibility for a single six-month extension. No payments will be made until demolition work is completed and all required supportive documentation has been submitted.

The selected communities include:

Anmoore – $143,000
Beckley – $487,000
Belington – $39,000
Belmont – $39,000
Bluefield – $650,000
Cameron – $169,000
Charleston – $500,000
Chester – $195,000
Clarksburg – $390,000
Delbarton – $130,000
Dunbar – $73,400
Durbin – $78,000
Fairmont – $468,000
Fairview – $117,000
Farmington – $130,000
Gassaway – $130,000
Glenville – $65,000
Grafton – $429,000
Grant Town – $263,000
Greenbrier County Commission – $572,000
Hancock County Commission – $117,000
Harrison County Commission – $413,500
Hinton – $481,000
Hundred – $65,000
Huntington – $213,000
Kanawha County Commission –$1,500,000
Kingwood – $78,000
Logan – City of – $156,000
Lost Creek – $52,000
Madison – $78,000
Mannington – $286,000
Marlinton – $156,000
Mason – $20,000
Mason County Commission – $52,000
Masontown – $130,000
Mercer County – $750,000
Milton – $76,000
Mingo County – $143,000
Montgomery – $65,000
Morgantown – $650,000
Moundsville – $169,000
New Martinsville – $260,000
Nitro – $234,000
Pennsboro – $26,000
Philippi – $130,000
Piedmont – $151,850
Princeton – $78,000
Raleigh County Commission – $494,000
Richwood – $260,000
Roane County Commission – $156,000
Ronceverte – $182,000
Rupert – $169,000
Salem – $145,500
Sistersville – $195,000
Smithfield – $104,000
St Albans – $182,000
St Marys – $104,000
Summers County Commission – $201,000
Wardensville – $26,000
Webster County Commission – $260,000
Weirton – $78,000
West Milford – $65,000
Westover – $78,000
Wheeling – $377,000
White Sulphur Springs – $234,000
Williamson – $260,000
Wood County Commission – $182,000
Worthington – $78,000
Wyoming County – $234,000

W.Va. Communities Anxious to Ramp Up ‘Tear Down’ Projects

Mercer County is one of 21 municipalities getting a total of more than $9 million in grant funding for unsound structure demolition.

Gov. Jim Justice and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) held an event last Friday in the Mercer county town of Matoaka to announce the 21 West Virginia communities receiving more than $9.2 million in grant funding to remove abandoned and dilapidated structures across the state.

Mercer County Commision president Gene Buckner said the $1.5 million they’re receiving compliments the nearly $2 million total going to Mercer cities Bluefield and Princeton.

“We collaborated together and I think the WVDEP, the parent group that takes care of distributing the money for this project saw what we were doing,” Buckner said. “They liked what they saw and put forth an effort to get us involved.”

Buckner said there are 800 to 1,000 properties that need to be razed. He said the three entities, already with a project system in place and dozens being torn down, are working together to set priorities. He said the growing southern West Virginia tourism industry tops the to-do list.

“What we looked at is what is being seen when tourists come to the county. We try to get to the main corridors first,” Buckner said. “Our progress shows that we have the ability to make this project work for the whole state.”

Buckner said dilapidated structures are a state-wide blight.

“It’s not only important to Mercer County, it’s important to the state. Getting these buildings torn down and then moving along with the lot that they’re sitting on and replacing that with grass,” Buckner said. “Sometimes it just makes a big difference when people come from out of state to look at the properties that we have available in our county.”

Buckner said the more all involved work to tear down the old and rebuild the new, the more prosperity the state will see.

Two W.Va. Mayors Looking to Demolish Dilapidated Properties

Officials in two northern West Virginia cities are looking to demolish dilapidated properties in their communities.

The State Journal reports New Cumberland Mayor Linda McNeil and Wellsburg Mayor Sue Simonetti are teaming up with their local development group to get rid of their towns’ eyesores.

McNeil and Simonetti say they chose dilapidated structures in high-visibility areas specifically to try to reshape public perceptions about their towns.

McNeil says two adjoining buildings on the city’s main thoroughfare will be replaced with a small park.

Simonetti says Wellsburg is in need of a facelift since the community is old and there are a lot of rundown properties.

She says they’ve targeted three buildings based on their high visibility and potential for redevelopment. One has already been razed.

Anonymous $100K Donation to Help Demolish Buildings

An anonymous donor has given $100,000 to the city of Huntington in order to assist with the demolition of blighted buildings.

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams announced during his State of the City address Tuesday that the donation will be matched with funds from the city’s capital budget.

Williams says the Unsafe Building Commission has identified 250 structures that need to be torn down and could soon add 500 more buildings on that list. He says the cost to demolish the buildings could be around $2.5 million.

An ordinance has also been adopted to register vacant buildings. If a building is vacant for 30 days, property owners will have to notify the city. If that property remains vacant for a year, the owner will be issued fees in order to cover city services.

Guide Helps Communities Deal With Dilapidated Properties

A clinic at the West Virginia University College of Law has published a free legal guide for dealing with dilapidated properties.

Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic Director Katherine Garvey says the book grew out of the clinic’s experience working with local governments. Garvey says communities were complaining about dilapidated properties, which can be health and safety hazards as well as eyesores. But the complex legal issues around the properties were preventing communities from dealing with them.

“From Liability to Viability: A Legal Toolkit to Address Neglected Properties in West Virginia” identifies tools available to attorneys, mayors, code enforcement officers, land use planners and community leaders.

The book is available from download at wvleap.wvu.edu. Hard copies are available from the clinic.