Site Location / Description
The
Hazelton Reclamation site is a 277 acre property located within the
City of Hazleton, Luzerne County Pennsylvania. The location is in
northeast Pennsylvania directly off Interstate 81 and bounded by Routes 924 Route 309 and Broad Street. (Click for map)
The site is an abandoned mine site that has been severely impacted by
past deep and surface mining practices containing 277 acres of
un-reclaimed abandoned mine pits and spoil piles. Portions of the site
(approximately 50 acres) were subsequently used for disposal of
municipal and industrial waste in several mine pits.
The
site is a brownfield site and is a designated Special Industrial Area
under the PA Act 2 and has been designated a Brownfield Action Team site
(BAT) by the Governor of Pennsylvania giving the site priority
attention for remediation. HCP is authorized to conduct the site
reclamation / remediation using the residual materials approved under
WMGR085, WMGRO96, WMGR097, and WMGR125.
The Hazleton
Reclamation Project site has the capacity to accept over 10 million
cubic yards of residual materials to complete the site reclamation.
In order for HCP to determine whether your material is acceptable for
beneficial use at the Hazleton Reclamation Project site, please complete
the attached forms and provide HCP with the necessary information
regarding the nature of the residual material, generation site,
generator and due diligence performed.
For More Information on the Site or to discuss contractual terms, please contact our Hazleton Creek Properties offices.
Yankee Stadium remains dumped at Hazleton
site
BY
MIA LIGHT (STAFF WRITER)
Published: April 13,
2011
Here lies Yankee
Stadium.
The final resting place
of the New York Yankees' original ballpark is in Hazleton where an abandoned
mine site is being reclaimed with material that includes construction debris.
The original Yankee
Stadium was demolished last year when construction of the new stadium was
complete.
The demolished remains
of the historic stadium were hauled from the Bronx to Hazleton Creek
Properties' demolition debris disposal site on Hazleton's southwest side.
Hazleton Creek
Properties LLC and the Mark Development company are working to re-claim 277
acres of abandoned mine pits and spoil on a swath of land located between state
Routes 924 and 309. Future plans for the land include construction of an
amphitheater and retail shops.
With permits from the
state Department of Environmental Protection, the Hazleton Creek group is using
various types of approved fill to close the mine pits.
Hazleton Director of
Public Works John Ackerman said this week that when demolition of the historic
stadium was complete, the mountain of rubble and concrete that was once Yankee
Stadium was hauled to the Hazleton Creek site for burial.
Ackerman and members of
the city's Redevelopment Authority toured the Hazleton Creek site last summer
when the remains of Yankee Stadium arrived.
"It was just a pile
of broken concrete," Ackerman said.
The rubble was used to
fill a mine pit and is now about 30 feet underground, Ackerman said.
In its heyday, the old
Yankee Stadium was known as "The House That Ruth Built," in honor of
Babe Ruth, whose legendary baseball career coincided with the stadium's grand
opening in 1923 and the beginning of the Yankees' winning history.
Coincidentally, the
Yankee Stadium burial ground in Hazleton is just a stone's throw away from the site
of the old Cranberry Ballpark in Hazle Township where Babe Ruth once played
ball.
Cranberry Ballpark was
located on a parcel now called Cranberry Creek Gateway, a 366-acre tract
between Interstate 81 and Route 924 near West Hazleton.
Greater Hazleton's
economic development agency, CAN DO, purchased the Cranberry Creek land in 2006
as part of a partnership with the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce to
attract development of commercial, retail, residential and recreation options
on the land.
In 1922, the Cranberry
Creek site was home to the Hazleton Mountaineers, a New York-Pennsylvania
League (eventually known as the Eastern League) Class B baseball team. The
ballpark held 5,000 spectators.
On Oct. 22, 1923, Babe
Ruth played at the stadium. The Bambino slammed one out of the ballpark during
practice, but went hitless during the game, which ended early so Ruth could
sign autographs.
According to a New York
Times story dated Oct. 23, 1923, the coal mines and public schools in the
region closed for the afternoon on the day Babe Ruth came to Cranberry Ballpark
to play.
"Mine workers left
their posts in such numbers that work had to be suspended," the story
said.
According to the report,
Babe went hitless against a man named Mondero, a mine worker of Coleraine,
who pitched for the Hazleton team.
"He struck the home
run king out twice," the story said.
The Hazleton
Mountaineers played as a team until 1936 when they became the Hazleton Red Sox,
an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. They played as the Red Sox from 1927 to
1938. The ballpark's illustrious history came to a close in 1965 when it was
demolished to make way for state Route 924.
In the Bronx, Yankee
Stadium was the Yankees' home park from 1923 to 1973. It closed for renovations
in 1974 and 1975 and re-opened in 1976. It continued as the Yankees' home until
2008 when construction of a new stadium on public park land adjacent to the
original stadium was complete.
The original Yankee
Stadium hosted a variety of historic events over the years, including World
Series games, no-hitters, perfect games and historic home runs. The stadium
also hosted boxing matches, concerts and three Papal Masses.
Demolition of the
original Yankee Stadium was complete on May 13, 2010. A few months later, its
remains were buried under Hazleton's mine-scarred land.
While work continues to
fill the mine pits and re-claim the land, Ackerman said trespassing on the site
is prohibited.
"It's an active
mine reclamation site. It's posted no trespassing and it's patrolled by
security," Ackerman said.
William Rinaldi,
president of Hazleton Creek Properties, declined to comment.
mlight@standardspeaker.com
