Public meeting to address NPS demolition plan, deferred maintenance

Jan. 10—An ambitious proposal by the National Park Service to remove excess structures in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a little too aggressive, some members of the public say.

The proposal will be the focus of a National Park Service public meeting/open house on Thursday, Jan. 11, in Glen Jean.

In addition to the proposal to demolish historic and excess structures, deferred park maintenance needs will be part of the informal Thursday event as well. The gathering is set from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Bank of Glen Jean (23 County Route 25/9), which is directly across the road from park headquarters. It will allow members of the public to view exhibits pertaining to the proposals, and park staff will be onsite to listen to comments and answer questions the public might have, according to a NPS press release.

According to park representatives, the project — funded by the Great American Outdoors Act — is currently in the preliminary proposal stage, and comments and suggestions are sought as the planning process advances. Those in attendance Thursday can submit written comments on cards that will be provided there. For those unable to attend the meeting, an opportunity to provide comments and obtain additional information is available until Jan. 15 on the NPS planning website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/GAOAExcessStructureDemo.

According to nps.gov, the NPS is required by the NPS Organic Act and NEPA to "plan and make informed decisions that help preserve park resources and values." To do so, the NPS prepares studies and involves the public before making decisions that will affect the environment. The pre-NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) report is available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=259&projectID=111561&documentID=133279.

It designates 35 excess and deteriorating structures within the park targeted for potential removal "as they pose a safety risk for visitors and park staff, create an unnecessary maintenance burden on park resources, are not central to the mission of the park and many are in a condition beyond repair," according to the report's introduction.

Of the 35 structures, 21 are considered historic and are either listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the report read. Generally, the historic structures "have an association with industries of the area such as the arrival of the railroad and the subsequent coal industry boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as with the birth of West Virginia's whitewater rafting industry in the mid-20th century."

Since the park's original designation as a national river unit of the national park system in 1978, the NPS has acquired numerous properties within the gorge, many of which include structures which are in various states of disrepair, according to the report. Most of them were "never viable for reuse or occupation by the NPS" and "are an ongoing management burden to the park," read a portion of the report.

According to the pre-NEPA report, buildings proposed for removal include: Charles Ashley Garage, Charles Ashley outbuilding, May Bagoski House, Harold Smith House, Wedzel Young House, Tom Kelly House, Thurmond Ice House, McGuffin Garage, Erskine Pugh Rental House, Philip A McClung/Meadows House, Sidney Allen Ward House, Thurmond Package Plant, James Humphrey Sr. House, Marilyn Brown House, Dun Glen Building, Dun Glen Ark, Dun Glen Mini Ark, Dun Glen Boat Storage Rack, James K. Carper Barn, Harrah Coal House, Harrah Outbuilding #2, Harrah Outbuilding #1, Harrah Hen House, Harrah Smokehouse, Harrah House, Harrah Outhouse Remains, Prince Brothers' General Store, Brookside Pool Chemical Treatment Building, Cochrane Farm Outbuilding #1, Cochrane Farm Outbuilding #2, James Phillips Storage Building #2, James Phillips Farm Shed, James Phillips Outbuilding #1, James Phillips House and Vallandingham House Addition (contemporary rear addition only).

Thurmond resident Tom Dragan, one of the founders of West Virginia whitewater rafting pioneer Wildwater Expeditions Unlimited, said Tuesday he feels most people are in favor of saving a majority of the buildings, while he admitted that a few of them probably should be torn down.

"If you do something with the buildings, save and preserve them," Dragan said. He said he's "dead set against" tearing down the Prince Brothers Store, a building of "historical significance" to the New River Gorge mining scene which was constructed in 1872. According to the NPS website, the store was close to several coal towns, and the C&O Railway main line passed by it.

Also, Dragan said, "It doesn't make sense for them to even think about tearing down Dun Glen." He also says he knows "people are adamant," for example, that the Dun Glen Ark and the Dun Glen Mini Ark be spared from demolition.

Many of the buildings don't require much maintenance, Dragan said.

If the NPS no longer wants to be burdened with the structures, he said, "Find people who want to lease them, and they'll take it off your hands. I don't think tearing (them) down is the only option."

David Sibray, a preservation consultant and real estate agent in southern West Virginia, says, "Regarding Thurmond, my concern ... is that the demolitions go too far and will have a negative impact. The removal of too many structures at Thurmond could destroy the historic fabric.

"At Prince, the demolition of the Prince Brothers Store, built in the late 1800s, would eliminate the only remaining structure from the town's early period. That could have a significant economic impact."

Sibray said he is working with several properties near the Prince Brothers Store in his real estate capacity, and is "sharply aware of the impact," he said. "Being so near such a landmark has significant monetary value.

"One solution may be the establishment of a trust or trusts to care for the buildings that the private sector may be able to manage better than the park service, which is severely underfunded," Sibray added. "There's also the potential to lobby Congress for more funding for the park."

"My concern is economic, as it almost always is," he concluded. "If we remove the best of what we have, how do we in West Virginia profit? The park service annually releases statements about its economic impact on the local economy, but is that effect being considered here?"

According to Eve West, chief of interpretation for the New River Gorge NPP, Gauley River National Recreation Area and Bluestone National Scenic River, the State Historic Preservation Office "by law has to be a part of this process and has approved it with the idea that we will be providing additional funding to upkeep Commercial Row (Thurmond)."

The NPS plans to complete the environmental and cultural review process for the proposed project in mid-2024, with the goal of implementing the demolitions as early as this coming fall. The agency plans to prepare an environmental assessment, with opportunities to be provided for the public to provide input on the action and impacts.