By utilizing a $600,000 Brownfield Assessment Grant that was awarded in 2018 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), eleven Carbon County properties that were nominated by owners have received a free environmental assessment.
These eleven properties include the historic city hall building located on Helper’s Main Street, the current city hall buildings in both Wellington and East Carbon, a mountain bike course owned by USU Eastern, a ServiceMaster building used by the Boys & Girls Club, a former manufacturing facility and hotel in Helper, a former health clinic, the community center building and a former auto salvage business located in East Carbon.
Through this grant, the owners are assisted in reusing and redeveloping the properties and buildings. In addition, owners are able to secure funding for new businesses and, at times, sell properties that otherwise would not be utilized.
Carbon County is leading this project with coalition members from Price, Helper, Wellington and East Carbon. Assisting the coalition and acting as consultant is Stantec, completing the inventories of properties and performing community outreach and engagement as well as completing the environmental assessments.
The properties being assessed during this grant are considered brownfields, which means that they are real property that may be complicated by the presence of potential hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants in regard to expansion, reuse or redevelopment.
Through the environmental assessments, the owners were able to gather needed answers to proceed with the plans to revitalize their properties and benefit the community. It was stated that the grant is not an enforcement program, meaning that unless there is a threat to public health and safety, owners will not be required to cleanup their properties.
The information that is gathered and distributed during these free assessments are intended simply to provide owners with information that will assist them in financing, selling and securing possible partnerships.
Those that are interested in learning more on these assessments and applying for a free assessment of their own can find all of the information needed here.