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ARC NEWS ROUNDUP | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 | VOLUME 2, ISSUE 38
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Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority is bringing tourism to southern West Virginia with extensive trail systems on abandoned mine lands. Executive Director Jeffrey Lusk was received an economic development award at the The 2017 West Virginia Brownfields and the Central Appalachian Brownfields Conference. Photo Source: Hatfield-McCoy Trails Facebook page
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Brownfields Of Opportunity
The 2017 West Virginia Brownfields and the Central Appalachian Brownfields Conference wrapped up two days of learning, sites visits, training, and networking in Morgantown, WV on September 14, 2017. The annual conference is an opportunity for state and local government representatives, non-profit organizations, developers, lenders, and project directors to receive training, visit relevant brownfields and revitalization project sites, and learn about innovative efforts to transform contaminated lands and buildings into economic opportunities. Brownfields, which were once considered a liability, have become an opportunities for communities in Appalachia working to diversify the regional economy. For example, five central Pennsylvania counties are using ARC POWER funding to develop abandoned mine lands into the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA), a regional outdoor tourism destination that will have 15 miles of new multi-use trails in Pennsylvania. Additionally, the West Virginia Department of Energy, in partnership with the ARC, worked with researchers, the WV National Guard, non-profit organizations, and other agencies to implement innovative ideas for abandoned lands, ranging from woody biomass and solar energy projects to veteran agriculture programs.
In a keynote address at the conference, ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl Gohl called on the attendees and their partners to continue coming forward to make the Appalachian Region a better place by building on its incredible assets – history, culture, manufacturing agriculture, and even brownfields. Mr. Gohl challenged the audience to build an ecosystem so that entrepreneurs and others can succeed and encouraged the next generation to take the lead. Jeffrey Lusk, Executive Director of the Hatfield McCoy Regional Recreation Authority, an ARC POWER grantee, received West Virginia Brownfields Award for Economic Development. Patricia Hickman was recognized for her 27 years of service to the state of West Virginia, including her most recent post as director of WV Department of Environmental Protection. Conference participants built on connections already established and cultivated by Central Appalachian Brownfield Innovation Network (CABIN). CABIN is an interstate and interagency initiative that provides education on the benefits of the sustainable redevelopment of brownfields and formerly mined lands. After the conclusion of the conference, the Office of Land and Emergency Management Grants and Funding released the FY18 Guidelines for the Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup and Revolving Loan Fund Grants. The proposal submission deadline is November 16, 2017.
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Building Leadership At Brush Fork Institute
This week, representatives from 9 states, 64 counties, and more than 140 organizations across Appalachia were in attendance at the Brushy Fork Annual Institute where they participated in intensive skill-building sessions covering a broad range of topics important to rural communities, from leadership development to economic development strategies. Designed to build the capacity of nonprofits and community-based organizations in Central Appalachia, the Annual Institute provides the knowledge, networking opportunities, resources, and training people need to act strategically and effectively. This year’s Institute was built around the theme of “The Relationship Economy,” aimed at better connecting Appalachian leaders with resources and with each other. ARC Program Managers from Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia hosted a panel discussion on asset-based development and main street revival efforts across southern Appalachia.
The Brushy Fork Institute is a strategic initiative of Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, aimed at improving the quality of life in Central Appalachia through leadership development and community building and by creating the capacity and collaboration needed to advance regional development goals. Over the past thirty years, with consistent support from ARC, Brushy Fork’s leadership institute and training has evolved to provide more effective, concentrated and peer-to-peer leadership training to help communities utilize asset-based investment strategies. Like ARC, Brushy Fork Institute recently went through a strategic planning process and developed similar goals and priorities, including investing in Appalachia’s entrepreneurs, leveraging the Region’s natural and cultural assets, and training the next generation of Appalachia’s economic leaders.
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As Coal Dies, Hocking Hills Towns Seek Ecotourists, The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
Opinion: Bonds and Giovannitti: The health of Appalachians, The Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Virginia
Thompson Announces $500,000 Grant For St. Marys Airport Road Improvements, The Courier Express, DuBois, Pennsylvania
Downtown Revitalization, Sewer Projects Get Funds, The Coalfield Progress, Norton, Virginia
Startup Alleghenies helping businesses in coal-impacted regions, WTAJ, Cambria County, Pennsylvania
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