EPA Brownfields grant demolition work

The Paden City Development Authority (PCDA) received an EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant of $500,000 in 2021 to remediate the 8.6 acre Industrial Park that lies just two blocks west of State Route 2 between West Adams Street to the south and Park Street to the north.. In addition to the $500k grant, the PCDA was required to invest an additional $100,000 in the project. The site was home to the Paden City Pottery from the 1920ás to 1956. Corning Glass Works took over the site in 1961 and produced Corning Ware until 1991 when the plant was shuttered. The Development Authority purchased the Industrial Park in 1999 and leased warehouse space to local manufacturers. Development and growth of the site was stymied by potential biohazards that limited certain areas for use.

In 2019, the PCDA was able to convince members of the WV Brownfields office in Morgantown to tour the plant and offer their input on the site’s potential.. In addition to the Brownfield Office in Morgantown, a representative of the EPA Brownfield Region III staff also toured the facility. Everyone agreed that the site possessed untapped potential for future development, if the site was cleaned up and properly remediated. Soon after the visit, the EPA approved a Phase I and Phase II Environmental Assessment of the entire Industrial Park. These two events occurred in the 2020/21 time frame. The PCDA was encouraged by the Brownfields Office and the EPA to submit a Brownfield Clean-up grant application and the PCDA was selected in July of 2021. The current area of emphasis will be the two kilns and surrounding infrastructure that has been used for over 100 years. In addition, there will be demolition work to remove the old pollution control/ventilation system, the old green Corning/Pottery Office building and the Boiler that serviced the kilns back in the Pottery era. Asbestos and asbestos containing materials are expected to be encountered as well as lead based paint. These materials were identified and mapped by the Phase II Environmental Assessment and follow-up testing conducted by the project administrator, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc.

The EPA Region III office also provided a Technical Assistant Grant that conducted a Marketing & Workshop Analysis of the site and a 200 mile region. The intent was to identify potential tenants for the Industrial Park and provide the PCDA with a playbook to help develop the site for a potential tenant or buyer. As the PCDA continues to search for a major tenant, the remediated site will be cleared for future development. Upon completion of this project, approximately 140,000 square feet of usable space will exist. The Industrial Park is currently home to 3 major tenants. The Mentor Network (REM), Tyler County Office of Emergency Management and year round Camper & Boat storage. The PCDA is actively seeking a major tenant for the largest building containing 66,000 square feet consisting of office space, tool rooms and warehouse area.

The Clean-up, demolition work should be completed by early August with the final remediation work completed by September 2024. There will be Community Wide meetings scheduled over the next several months to inform the citizens of the progress and future of the site. Anyone with immediate questions can call the PCDA office at 304-337-2796. Please leave a message if no one is in the office. Remember, the PCDA is a volunteer organization with none of the nine members receiving compensation for their volunteer efforts.

This is a bittersweet time for the Industrial Park. The site and all of its buildings created jobs for many people in Paden City over most of the 1900ás. It started with the Paden City Pottery and ended with the Corning Glass Works. Entire families worked at the site and provided a good living for their loved ones. It created a solid middle class in Paden City and the town flourished due to the factory jobs and the benevolence of the Pottery and Corning Management.. As we remember the site’s history, we now look forward to the opportunity that the site may once again be a magnet for employment.