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Spencer’s Landing property ready for further development

By Tyler Bennett 4 min read

VIENNA -- Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp announced Friday that the City of Vienna was awarded a certificate of completion for the riverfront side at Johns Manville, now called Spencer's Landing, from the state's voluntary remediation program.

In a ceremony to mark the achievement Friday at Spencer's Landing, Rapp read from the letter announcing the certificate's award.

"'Dear Mayor Rapp, I am pleased to provide you the accompanying certificate of completion for the subject site located in Vienna, West Virginia. After having recorded it at the courthouse yesterday, afternoon, it is fully in effect. The certificate of completion for Spencer's Landing side of the Johns Manville facility is now open for business,'" Rapp said.

So far plans for developing a walking trail, shelters, and a kayak launch to give all access to the Ohio River are in the works for the Spencer's Landing property to join the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, but Rapp said what else will be added in the 35 acres will be community-driven.

"So with Spencer's Landing already with the memorial, with the excitement and opportunity that we have, I'm really looking forward much more to this phase of the development of this property than what we've been through so far. So I encourage all of the citizens of Vienna to get involved," Vienna City Council member Jim Leach said.

The project began after the city received a call in 2014 from a client in Charleston about zoning in Vienna and wanting to purchase the former industrial property then turn Spencer's Landing into a sludge reclamation pond. However, both Rapp and Vienna Code Enforcement/Zoning official Duane Fluty didn't want that to happen in the middle of Vienna.

The two worked with Vienna City Council to finally own Spencer's Landing six years ago. Previously the property was outside the city's corporate limits, meaning Vienna had no say in what could be built or developed and had different zoning rules compared to Wood County, Rapp said.

With help from former economic development director Paul Thornton and Leach, Rapp and the city of Vienna were able to be awarded the certificate of completion.

"Paul Thornton went to work and he started working with the Brownfield people out of Morgantown and the Brownfield people out of the New Jersey Institute, to help us get through this process," Rapp said. "Then Paul retired about the same time Jim Leach came on to our city council. I'm so grateful that both of these gentlemen took such an interest in this," he said.

"Jim holds a master's degree in environmental law. So he's very familiar with all of the terms and all of the things that have to be done in order to navigate through the very difficult process called the voluntary remediation program that the state of West Virginia has," Rapp said.

At Friday's program Rapp also gave thanks for helping in the process to Vienna City Council members Roger Conley, Mike Elam, Bruce Rogers, Roger Bibbee and Cathy Smith and former council members Jim Miracle and Tom Azinger. He also recognized Mike Browning representing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Wood County Commissioner Bob Tebay and Del. John Kelly, R-10th District.

"As an individual who grew up in Vienna, I've seen a lot of changes throughout that time," Kelly said. "With the help of the Department of Environmental Protection from the state of West Virginia, we see advancements coming before us and we see prosperity and a possibility of even better things to come."

Contact Tyler Bennett at tbennett@newsandsentienl.com

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