The application process for the Phoenix Awards during the 2017 National Brownfields Conference is now open. The award highlights outstanding brownfield redevelopment and revitalization, with top projects offering a fresh take on cleanups, innovation, and community impact.
The deadline to submit an application for this year’s Phoenix Awards is October 4, 2017. Awards will be presented during this year’s National Brownfields Conference, held Dec. 5-7 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Registration is open for the 2017 National Brownfields Training Conference. This year’s event is being held in Pittsburgh, PA and will run from Dec. 5-7, 2017.
This is the premier brownfields and land revitalization event of the year; attendees will enjoy opportunities to participate in training events, observe success stories first hand during mobile workshops, listen to experts regarding best practices for meeting brownfields challenges, and network with thousands of other stakeholders.
Registration and accommodations are now open for the event.
Visit the official Brownfields Conference Website for additional information at www.brownfields2017.org.
Oak Creek City Attorney Larry Haskin addresses members of the NRB and press at the future home of Lake Vista Park.
The DNR’s Natural Resources Board (NRB) had a chance to see several brownfield sites in the southeast region of the state during its recent tour of Oak Creek. The tour was part of the members’ activities in the Milwaukee area the day before the Board held its August meeting. Members got a walking tour of Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square, previously the site of Delco Electronics, learning about its remediation and stormwater management features. From there, it was on to a tour of Lake Vista Park, part of the city’s formerly industrial lakefront, which wrapped up the Oak Creek portion of the tour.
The group then visited Milwaukee’s Harbor District, including the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences and Milwaukee’s inner harbor. They heard from RR Program staff about remediation and redevelopment projects in the area, including The Freshwater Plaza project. The tour concluded at Erie Street Plaza, a small urban park built in 2010 in near the confluence of the Milwaukee and Kinnickinnic rivers, featuring native grasses and illuminated benches.
The Brownfields Study Group will meet on September 15 in West Bend. This group was created roughly 20 years ago at the behest of the Legislature to help the DNR develop solutions and strategies to increase the number of contaminated properties that were cleaned up and returned to productive use. The group meets regularly and has members from the private sector, local governments, non-profits and others.
For an agenda and other meeting details, please contact Mick Skwarok, (608) 266-9263.
The latest version of ASTWMO’s Toolbox for Community Redevelopment, “A beginner’s guide to contaminated property redevelopment,” offers a five-step process to help local governments better understand the basic process of identification, assessment, investigation and cleanup.
The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials, Inc., (ASTSWMO), is a national organization founded in 1974. Its mission is to enhance and promote effective state programs and to affect relevant national policies for waste and materials management, environmentally sustainable practices, and environmental restoration.
The toolbox and examples are not Wisconsin-specific, but include good, basic information for anyone interested in cleanup and redevelopment issues.
Join CDFA, technical partners, and experienced brownfield communities for a discussion on the financial strategies that restored hazardous properties for healthy reuse on August 31 at 1:00 PM Central Time. This webcast is designed for professionals who work directly with brownfield sites as well as economic development finance professionals and communities interested in shaping programs to enhance redevelopment financing opportunities. Click here to confirm your participation and receive login information. Registration is free and open to all interested stakeholders.
The RR Program details the various activities undertaken and achieved throughout the year through the biannual Section 128(a) Report.
For nearly 15 years, the Remediation and Redevelopment Program has worked under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enhance state efforts with the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields. As part of the agreement, the RR Program details the various activities undertaken and achieved throughout the year and makes those efforts available to the public through the biannual Section 128(a) Report. These reports can be found on the Brownfields Program webpage and we invite you to have a look. Recent reports detail redevelopment sites in Manitowoc and Madison, highlight video projects, recognize staff efforts, and recognize our external partners for helping guide program efforts.
The DNR’s “Green Team” meetings bring important parties together to discuss issues, answer key questions and give everyone a better understanding of the project.
Contaminated land often raises liability concerns, technical issues and funding questions. The DNR’s “Green Team” meetings bring important parties in the cleanup and redevelopment process together to discuss issues, answer key questions and give everyone a better understanding of the project at hand. DNR staff are available to discuss liability protections, regulatory processes and financial assistance available for the investigation, remediation and redevelopment of a contaminated property.
Green Team meetings are an effective and efficient way for local governments and others to evaluate options, plan for and work through a brownfield project. Many successful brownfield redevelopment projects in Wisconsin start with a local Green Team meeting. Funding from the EPA helps make this possible.
DNR staff participate in more than 100 Green Team meetings annually. Additional information, including a list of meetings held so far this year, can be found in the Section 128(a) Grant Mid-Year Report.
To learn more about Green Team meetings in general, visit the RR Program’s Green Team assistance web page.
The DNR submits reports twice a year to EPA on the use of brownfields grant funds to enhance its state response program and to fulfill public record requirements.
The RR Program’s mid-year report to the EPA, which details outputs and outcomes funded by a federal grant, is now available for review. The Section 128(a) Grant Mid-Year Report, for the reporting period of September 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017, highlights work completed in the first half of the funding year.
Since 2003, the RR Program has consistently and efficiently used these funds under a cooperative agreement with the EPA to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Previous reports can be found on the Brownfields Program web page.
As part of CDFA’s Brownfields Technical Assistance Program, the Brownfield Financing Webinar Series will include three 90-minute webinars over the year and will focus on effective use of brownfields and redevelopment financing tools, while highlighting best practices, case studies, and CDFA’s technical assistance program participants. This series is designed for professionals who work directly with brownfield sites as well as economic development professionals and communities interested in shaping programs to enhance redevelopment financing opportunities.
The latest webinar of this series discusses the use of Private Activity Bonds (PABs) for brownfield redevelopment projects and how communities can use PABs strategically and in combination with other financing tools.
