Kentucky communities and organizations received more than $7.9 million in funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up brownfields ‒ abandoned industrial and commercial sites believed to be contaminated.
Louisville-Metro received $1 million in supplemental revolving loan funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL). Additionally, the EPA awarded grants to the following to address issues in these cities:
- Maysville ‒ $2 million to Frontier Housing, Inc. to remediate the former Hayswood Hospital building that has been vacant since 1983. Frontier plans to turn the location into an affordable housing residential space.
- Somerset ‒ $1 million for OakPointe Centre, Inc. to remediate the former Palm Beach sewing factory and warehouse.
- Beattyville ‒ $500,000 for the city to remediate the old downtown city hall, jail, and firehouse.
- Prestonsburg ‒ $500,000 for the Big Sandy Area Development District to conduct a community-wide environmental site assessment and develop cleanup plans.
- Carrollton ‒ $500,000 for Carroll County to conduct an environmental assessment and develop a cleanup plan for the former Carrollton Furniture Factory in the city’s historic district.
- Ashland ‒ $500,000 for the city to inventory sites and develop cleanup plans in the historic riverfront district.
- Providence and Sebree ‒ $500,000 for the Green River Development District to conduct an environmental assessment and develop cleanup plans for several vacant commercial buildings in the cities, including two coal mines.
“Our vision for Ashland is one of resilience, sustainability, and prosperity,” said Ashland Mayor Matt Perkins. “This grant represents a remarkable opportunity to restore and reclaim our brownfield sites, breathing new life into them and opening doors to sustainable development.”
The federal brownfield program provides funding for eligible local governments, nonprofit organizations, and quasi-governmental agencies to remediate and reimagine abandoned and hazardous locations in the community. You can learn more about the program here.
