Ronceverte pushes forward with property cleanups despite theatre demolition delay
By Dakota Baker, RealWV
For those of you keeping up with the recent events taking place in Ronceverte, then you know that the Ronceverte City Council has taken the initiative in removing the dilapidated properties around the city to “preserve the beauty of Ronceverte,” as well as to maintain public safety.
This project was made possible by the “Dilapidated Properties Program” which was created in 2021.The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) operates a program called REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan) through its Office of Environmental Advocacy. One of REAP’s current initiatives is managing the DLAP (Dilapidated Properties Program), which focuses on cleaning up and revitalizing abandoned or rundown properties across the state.
To support this work, former Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Legislature allocated $30 million from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund in both 2022 and 2023. This funding is being used to provide subgrants to municipalities and counties throughout West Virginia, helping local governments pay for property cleanup and improvement projects in their communities.
The program utilizes allocated resources to work with municipalities and counties throughout West Virginia, focusing on the removal of dilapidated properties that pose hazards, contribute to economic decline, and negatively affect property values. Their mission is to “turn liabilities into opportunities, one dilapidated property at a time.”
Recently, there has been some community concern by the citizens of Ronceverte regarding the demolition of the old movie theater. According to a Facebook post in the Ronceverte Peeps Facebook group, the property has sat partially demolished since August 5th, 2025.
City Hall has announced that the demolition of the theater has been postponed because the contracting company needs to rent specialty equipment to safely remove the beams. Additionally, the contractor is currently focused on completing the cleanup of another site, and the burned house on Greenbrier Avenue, alongside the theater.
The contractor was working on sites on Monroe Avenue last week and if all goes well with the rental, the demolition process will resume on the theater this week.
Citizens with any additional questions are encouraged to email questions@cityofronceverte.com.
