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.

I just spent the day at a long meeting discussing the Arthurdale Heritage fundraising plans for this year and possibly years to come.  We have some fantastic initiatives that we will be announcing over the next few weeks. Most notably we are planning on launching “Arthurdale Weddings” wedding rental packages, challenge grants, new tours, new exhibits, and more events for children and families.

One of these family-oriented events is our annual Beat the Heat BBQ coming up next Saturday.  Tom and Dyanna Bonnette, Susie and Richie Davis and a slew of our dedicated volunteers will be grilling and serving up char-grilled hamburgers and hot dogs for this winter fundraiser.  And, yes, Tom and Richie will be outside in the freezing cold grilling. They do this every year and we are so very thankful for their dedication.

This event will also feature a SUPERVISED play area for the kids (so mom and dad can relax and have fun) and the Craft Shop will be open. The Craft Shop is not normally open until April when we start offering weekend tours again, so this is your chance to stop by and pick up unique gifts. (Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, fellas…hint hint!) We really hope to see you there!

Other fundraising events we are planning are the annual Elimination Dinner (April), Mother/Daughter Tea (May), the annual New Deal Festival (July 9-10), and an Ice Cream Social/Kids Day in August.  Also, October 11 is Eleanor Roosevelt’s Birthday and we’re thinking about throwing her a party!

That said, all of these events and initiatives take time, effort, and lots of planning. However, we always pull it off because we have such wonderful volunteers.  If there is anything that you would like to be a part of or help out with, we would love to hear from you.  If you are not on our volunteer email list, please let us know so we can add you.

One of the great things about technology is being able to easily get feedback from anyone and everyone.  We’re making lots of plans for 2010, but also for years to come.  We’d love to hear what Arthurdale Heritage means to you and what you would like to see us doing, so take a moment to add your comments below!

- Sarah Barnes
President, Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. Board of Directors

Thank you to all those volunteers and patrons who braved the weather to make our BBQ a success.

A special thank you to our sponsors:  Valley Pharmacy in Reedsville and Foodland Fresh in Kingwood.   The winner of the box of candy was Suzie Davis;  the winner of the bouquet of roses was Dyanna Bonnette.

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