Environment Matters - New Waterfront Park on Former Brownfield Site

The City of Smithers in Fayette County is getting a new riverfront park with public access to the Kanawha River for launching canoes and kayaks. The site is the former Oakland School property. Built in the early 1900s, the building had fallen into disrepair had needed to be demolished. A DEP Brownfields Technical Assistance Mini-Grant got the process rolling and by Fall 2026, the park will be open to the public.