Public input sought on Brownfields Proposals

(October 9, 2007) - Citizens are invited to review the City’s fiscal year 2008 Brownfields grant proposals and offer suggestions about potential Brownfield sites or the direction of the City’s program.

The City is seeking funding for a $3 million Revolving Loan Fund Grant Program and a $200,000 Assessment Grant through a nationwide proposal competition process.  The City will be competing with other cities, states, and non-profits nationwide for an estimated $72 million in EPA Brownfields grants.  If the proposals are successful, funds will be available to the City in the fall of 2008.

“We are interested in finding out about potential Brownfields in the community and if there are any particular areas of the City the public would like to see as targets,” said Brownfields Coordinator Jimmie Hammontree.  “We maintain a strong focus on the urban core and the Oklahoma River; our existing revolving loan fund has proven very successful in this area over the last year and a half,” Hammontree added.

The City is seeking the additional grant funds for the Brownfields program.  The EPA grants would allow City planners to distribute money to private developers and non-profits through low-interest loans or subgrants for the assessment and cleanup of Brownfield sites.

Brownfields are properties that have actual or perceived environmental contamination that complicates or hinders redevelopment.  The City’s Brownfields program is designed to help spur the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of contaminated properties.  EPA grants provide funds to accomplish the program goals.

Citizens who wish to comment on the proposals can e-mail their comments to the City’s Brownfields Coordinator at jimmie.hammontree@okc.gov.  Comments can also be faxed or mailed to the Planning Department at 405 297-1631 or 420 W Main Street, Ste 900, Oklahoma City, OK  73102.

The application will continue to be updated and made available through the public process.

For more information about Oklahoma City’s Brownfields Program or its existing Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) contact Jimmie Hammontree at 405 297-1639 or log on to http://www.okc.gov/planning/brownfields/index.html.