Brownfields
Success Story
Former FootbaDO Field Scores
a Victory at Home
Newell, West Virginia
For more than 60 years, young athletes enjoyed use of the Newell Memorial
Meld in Newell, West Virginia. As a home to both Wells and Oak Glen High
Schools, as well as Wells Junior High, the field hosted youth football games
from 1950 through 2011, when a new football stadium opened elsewhere
in town.
The old stadium was dismantled and its parts—from scoreboards to the press
box to bleachers—were sold and scattered across the country from Lafayette,
Louisiana to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But what to do with the old field? The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded funding that would help
local planners find a way to repurpose the site.
The Assessment
The Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning and Development
Council received an EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant to help determine
any possible environmental and socioeconomic factors that might influence
redevelopment options on the property. A Phase I Environmental Site
Assessment revealed no major environmental hazards, clearing the spaces
for redevelopment.
The Benefits
Following the assessment, Hancock County Commissioners sold the 3.5-
acre site to a developer. A few years and $5.5 million later, Hancock County
Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram opened its doors. The dealership, which employs
an estimated 50 full-time workers, has not only been a success for its owners
but also has had a positive impact on the local community.
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
*_
The former Newei! Memorial Field served as
the football home for local high school and
junior high school students for more than six
decades.
EPA Grant Recipient:
Brooke-l-lancock-Jefferson
Metropolitan Planning and
Development Council
EPA Grant Type:
Brownfield Assessment
Former Use: Football Field
Current Use: Car Dealership
it Local residents
have been very
supportive of the
dealership in their
community.
General Manager,
Hancock County
Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at
www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
Joe Nowak at 215-814-3303 or
Nowak.Joseph@epa.gov.
If?a,,S€0-F4?-214
October 20T?

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