All News Releases By Date

EPA grants to advance several projects, including cleanup and renovation of Missoula County Courthouse

Release Date: 06/06/2012
Contact Information: Richard Mylott, U.S.EPA, 303-312-6654; John Adams, City of Missoula, 406-258-368; Anne Hughes, Missoula County, 406-258-3160

$679K in EPA Brownfields funds for City of Missoula, Missoula County

(Denver, Colorado — June 6, 2012) At an event today at the County Courthouse in Missoula, Mont., Jim Martin, Regional Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), presented representatives from the City of Missoula and Missoula County with $679,000 in grant funding for the cleanup of several properties. A $279,000 Brownfields Multi-Purpose grant will be used by the County to clean up asbestos, lead paint, and other contaminants at the courthouse on 220 West Broadway. An additional Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund grant of $400,000 will help the City of Missoula remove contaminants and move forward with redevelopment plans at several targeted properties.

”Missoula has built a strong coalition that continues to make strides revitalizing properties and creating community assets,” said Martin. “These funds will set the stage for the modernization of the County Courthouse and help get several additional blighted sites back into productive use.”

Missoula County is receiving a $279,000 Brownfields Multi-Purpose grant to assess and clean up asbestos, lead paint, and other contaminants in the interior of the Missoula County Courthouse. The safe removal of these contaminants will advance the planned renovation of the courthouse, including a new emergency operations center, an expanded Sheriff's office, and updated courtrooms. The renovation will also greatly improve the energy efficiency of the century-old building.

“We’re thrilled with the award,” said Missoula County Commissioner Bill Carey. “The EPA’s assistance in ensuring our courthouse is a safe environment for Missoulians and visitors alike is truly appreciated.”

The City of Missoula will also use a $400,000 Brownfields grant to capitalize a revolving loan fund that provides grants and loans to cleanup properties throughout the City. Missoula has successfully used these funds to advance the reuse of several properties, including the Missoula Mercantile property at 110 North Higgins, and the former Sawmill site, slated as a mixed-use development along the Clark Fork River. Specific determinations about projects will be made by the City and other partners, in conjunction with public input.

The County’s Multi-Purpose grant is among $3.8 million EPA is providing in pilot grants to nine recipients across the country for cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties. These Multi-Purpose grants will help recipients conduct assessments and cleanup activities, and eliminate delays in moving from assessment to cleanup. These investments will continue to provide communities with necessary funding to help clean up America’s land, protect public health, boost local economies, and create jobs.

There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America. EPA’s Brownfields program targets these sites to encourage redevelopment, and help to provide the opportunity for productive community use of contaminated properties. Brownfields grants often target under-served and low income neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

Since inception in 1995, EPA’s brownfields investments have leveraged more than $18.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding from a variety of public and private sources and have resulted in approximately 75,500 jobs. In 2012, EPA awarded $69.3 million to 245 grantees in 39 states across the country to assess and clean up abandoned industrial and commercial properties.

More information on brownfields grants by state: https://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/

More information on EPA’s Brownfields program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

More information on brownfields success stories: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm