BECKLEY, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – During a special Beckley Common Council meeting on Monday, November 29, 2021, council unanimously approved to temporarily deed the city’s former trash dump below New Jersey Ave to the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA). Monday was the second and final reading of the ordinance.
According to the city’s chief financial officer Billie Trump, the property that houses the dump is readily available for use but can’t be developed because of its current situation.
“As late as the 1960s, people would bring garbage and refuse there and just dump it and throw it over the hillside. It created a significant hazardous material site.
“What we found out was there are grants available to clean up these sites like this- hazardous material sites,” Trump added. “But the grants are not available to the entity that created the mess. Since the city kind of looked the other way and approved it, the city is not eligible.”
By being the temporary owners of the property, NRGRDA can apply for said grants, a Brownfields Cleanup Grant, and use the funds to clean the trash dump, which the city plans to then develop.
“It’s really going to be a significant improvement in that area. It’s a gateway to the city and one of the ways people may access the new National Park. It’s a significant investment all the way around to getting this cleanup and getting it developed not only for the citizen of Beckley and Raleigh County but for visitors and people coming to the area.”
Trump says, once the work is completed, the property will be deeded back to the city.
“A lot of sites like this are cleared up and just kind of left. We plan to build a trailhead and other public recreation things that coincide with the Historic Mill. The cleanup needs done first.”
Trump says the deed transfer is already being worked on.
