City of Minot (N.D.) receives $600K for property assessment, cleanup and redevelopment

EPA Press Release:

City of Minot (N.D.) receives $600K for property assessment, cleanup and redevelopment

EPA Brownfields funds will support local efforts to revitalize downtown and areas affected by 2011 flooding

Contacts

U.S. EPA: Richard Mylott, 303-312-6654

City of Minot: Donna Bye, 701-857-4100

(Denver. Colorado—May 8, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected the City of Minot as the recipient of $600,000 in Brownfields grant funds which will be used to assess and clean up properties downtown, including areas affected by the flooding of the Souris River in 2011. Today’s announcement is part of $62 million in EPA Brownfields funds awarded to 240 grant recipients across the nation to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties.

"EPA Brownfields grants open doors by helping communities like Minot transform blighted properties into public and economic assets," said EPA acting regional administrator, Howard Cantor. "These investments will address contamination and create new opportunities for people to live, play, and do business.”

The City of Minot is receiving a total of $600,000 in EPA Brownfields funds, including a $200,000 area-wide planning grant and $400,000 for the assessment of properties with hazardous substances and petroleum contamination. The planning grant will be used by the City to evaluate existing and flood-deposited contamination and prioritize the cleanup and redevelopment of hundreds of acres encompassing the Burdick Expressway, an active railroad corridor, and properties adjacent to the Souris River. Assessment funds will be used to assess contamination at more than 25 sites and to prepare a comprehensive inventory which will be used to advance redevelopment, including new housing, and prioritize future cleanup needs.

Collectively, these EPA resources will help advance goals outlined in the community’s “Imagine Minot” plan and the City’s Flood Recovery Plan. Grant funds will be used to assess a 36-block downtown redevelopment area and areas adjacent to the Souris River affected by severe flooding in 2011. Plans include the development of low and moderate-income housing, new commercial space, sustainable mixed-use developments, and parks.

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. Under EPA’s Brownfields program, more than 20,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 850 properties have been cleaned up. EPA’s Brownfields investments have also leveraged more than $19 billion in overall cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. These investments resulted in approximately 87,000 jobs nationwide. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent.

More information on Brownfields grants by state: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/