7-2-12
Texas Business
reports: TEXARKANA, Texas—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced grant awards from the brownfields redevelopment program
bringing the total to $1.3 million.
A
brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.
“These
brownfields grants will help convert environmental eyesores into
sources of local pride,” said EPA acting regional administrator Sam
Coleman in a prepared statement. “EPA is committed to putting both
people and property back to work and turning problem properties into
community assets.”
In
May 2012, the EPA announced the city of Texarkana was selected to
receive a $900,000 brownfields revolving loan fund grant which focused
on 200 properties in the Historical Downtown and 7th Street Corridor.
An
additional multi-purpose grant totaling $400,000 will be used to assess
and clean up a site located at 203/205 West Broad Street. Past uses of
the site included various shops and storage space. The site is
contaminated with both inorganic and organic materials, as well as heavy
metals. The funds will also be used to conduct a Phase II
environmental assessment and develop a cleanup plan and remove
contaminated materials from the buildings and cleanup soil. The project
is expected to preserve the façade and all salvageable interior
features of a historic 1885 site for commercial development.
