|
 |
By Conan Smith |
Grants totaling $1.7 million are being awarded through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to assess contamination at 45 brownfield sites in 31 communities across the state.
“These grants are important for communities looking to redevelop blighted properties,” Governor Jim Doyle said. “As each round of grants goes out, communities are able to envision the positive effects this program has on their economic and renewal projects — the cleanup and safe reuse of those properties.”
The DNR’s brownfields site assessment grants are part of Governor Doyle’s “Grow Wisconsin” efforts to build Wisconsin’s economic base. They provide seed money to local governments for demolition, environmental assessments and removal of abandoned tanks and containers.
Small grants (up to $30,000) make up 36 of the awards, while nine are large grants (between $30,000 and $100,000). The grants will provide funds for environmental activities on 107 acres of land. Activities include 128 site assessments and investigations, the demolition of 63 buildings or structures, and the removal of 87 tanks, drums and other abandoned containers. Local governments have also pledged more than $900,000 in additional funds for the projects, well beyond the 20 percent match required through the application process.
“The continued high level of local investment into these projects speaks volumes about the success of the DNR’s Site Assessment Grant Program,” Governor Doyle said. “Leveraging local dollars will help redevelop these properties in the long run.”
The DNR received 76 applications totaling $3.1 million in requests, nearly
twice as much as the $1.7 million available this fiscal year.
This is the sixth round of SAG awards since the program began in 2000. In the
first five rounds, the DNR awarded more than $6.56 million to 103 communities
to begin investigation and cleanup at 742 acres. These activities included 340
site assessments and investigations, the removal of nearly 200 underground storage
tanks and the demolition of 261 structures and buildings.
Governor Doyle’s 2005–07 budget earmarked $3.4 million for the DNR’s brownfields SAG program. The state legislature first authorized $1.45 million for the SAG program in the 1999–2001 budget after the Brownfields Study Group, a statewide advisory task force, recommended the program in their 1998 final report. BFN