Yankee Stadium remains dumped at Hazleton site

http://www.hazletoncreekproperties.com/

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