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Shinnston, West Virginia — Keen to ‘Go Green’
The City of Shinnston, West Virginia, located in the north central part of the state, offers small-town life and big-time ideas when it comes to taking on “green” initiatives. These initiatives help improve the quality of life for residents and future generations in the city known as “A Heart Among the Hills.”
The “green” seeds were planted in 2007 when Shinnston, population 2,240, was named one of ten West Virginia Blueprint Communities, an initiative of FHLBank Pittsburgh that provides revitalization training and support to community leaders in an effort to create sustainable community growth.
City manager Debra Herndon, and a member of the Blueprint Communities team, said, “A lot of Shinnston’s green initiatives involve reusing materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Most of our green initiatives not only save the city fuel and landfill space, but money as well. Shinnston is trying to use resources wisely while trying to beautify our community.”
Following the year-long Blueprint training, Shinnston city officials and community leaders wasted no time deciding to go clean and green. Several green initiatives are well under way in Shinnston:
- Tree planting and street beautifications
- Highway, tire and illegal dump cleanups
- Addition of a recycling trailer at a local grocery store
- Curbside recycling pickup program through the city’s waste contractor
- Purchase of a street sweeper by the city
- Encouraged use of public buses in and around Shinnston
- A rails-to-trails section along the West Fork River currently under repair after being washed out in a freak storm last June.
Another green initiative -- designated as part of the city’s strategic plan -- is a weekly Farmers’ Market launched last summer offering locally grown and organic produce and products such as flowers, honey and preserves. At the outset, the growers planned for a long day, but because of high demand for fresh fruit and vegetables, goods were sold out by noon. Customer traffic increased steadily throughout the season, and this summer, the city has high hopes that the Farmers’ Market will exceed last year’s number of growers and produce.
One of the most recent green initiatives, and perhaps the largest undertaking to date, is the construction of a new activities park at the site of the former city swimming pool, adjacent to the Little League baseball park. The land was considered a brownfield because the city garage and a storage facility were also located on the site. The storage building was disassembled and now has a new working life on a local farm. The park currently features a fenced-in basketball court and bathroom facilities with electricity powered by solar panels. Shinnston plans to offer additional recreational facilities at the park and has engaged the community for input by visiting a local elementary school and asking students about what they would like to see offered.
City officials, community leaders and residents of Shinnston can be proud of their beautification efforts. The city received accolades for its clean and green initiatives by being selected for a “Make it Shine” Clean Community Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection REAP Program.
The future appears bright for Shinnston with its green initiatives continuing to gain momentum. The city has applied for REAP grants and community development funding totaling nearly $100,000, and the Blueprint Communities–Shinnston team was recently awarded a HUB collaborative grant to sponsor a local TV station’s “Going Green” segments. The spots will air on WDTV, Clarksburg, WV, during its local newscasts to help create community awareness about Shinnston’s current and future green initiatives.
To learn more about the City of Shinnston, West Virginia, visit their website; for more information on the Blueprint Communities initiative, see our website.
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