EPA Region 7 to Present City of Eldora, Iowa, with $400K Check for Brownfields Grant

LENEXA, KAN. (JUNE 14, 2023) – On Thursday, June 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 will present a $400,000 ceremonial check to the City of Eldora, Iowa. The city will host the ceremony at the Eldora City Council Chambers.

EPA selected the City of Eldora for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop an inventory of brownfield sites, prepare two cleanup plans, and conduct five public meetings.

The target area for this grant is the City of Eldora. Priority sites include a vacant and blighted building that was formerly an apparel manufacturer; a vacant and derelict building that was formerly a parts supplier; and a 686-square-foot brick building built in 1925 that has been vacant since 2019.

These investments are part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private-sector manufacturing and clean-energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

“EPA is proud to partner with the City of Eldora,” said EPA Region 7 Land, Chemical, and Redevelopment Division Director Jeff Robichaud. “This assessment grant is the first step in creating a cleaner, more vibrant community for the citizens of Eldora.”

“This Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be life-changing for Eldora, said Eldora City Administrator Aaron Budweg. “This grant will help our small rural community address brownfield sites, while we do the necessary planning that will help us build a resilient community.”

Please RSVP to: Shannan Beisser, beisser.shannan@epa.gov, 816-520-1949.

WHO:

EPA Region 7 Land, Chemical, and Redevelopment Division Director Jeff Robichaud
Eldora Mayor David Dunn
Eldora City Administrator Aaron Budweg

WHAT: Brownfields grant ceremonial check presentation to the City of Eldora, Iowa

WHEN: Thursday, June 15, at 2 p.m. CDT

WHERE: Eldora City Council Chambers, 1442 Washington St., Eldora, Iowa

Background

EPA has selected these organizations to receive funding to address and support the reuse of brownfield sites. EPA anticipates making all the awards recently announced, once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged over $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding has leveraged nearly 260,000 jobs from both public and private sources. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leveraged an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar.

The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on Aug. 8-11, 2023, in Detroit. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).