Pueblo hosting a townhall Tuesday to update public on ‘EPA Brownfield Assessment Brownfield Grant’
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The City of Pueblo is hosting a townhall on Tuesday, Jun. 13 to provide an update on the City of Pueblo’s United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Brownfield Assessment Brownfield Grant.
“We are happy to share the work the community has completed over the last two years revitalizing Pueblo,” said Senior Planner for City of Pueblo Wade Broadhead. “We are also happy to assist other property owners in ways to help identify and manage their properties that may have obstacles to redevelopment.”
A Brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. Some areas around Pueblo have environmental concerns which hinder plans for expansion or redevelopment.
The Pueblo Brownfields Assessment Grant supports the US EPA Strategic Plan and includes a grant period of Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2023. The project focus on the oldest area of Pueblo. There are three sub areas of focus which include the heart of downtown with recreation assets like the Pueblo Riverwalk, the western section of downtown with rail sites and mix-use infill development and the third area is the decommissioned Pueblo Power Plant.
The City of Pueblo selected Partners Environmental Consulting, Inc. to help with the grant. Dan Brown, CPG, the President of Partners said, “the reuse of Brownfields is critical to the sustainability of older industrial cities like Pueblo. Repurposing properties within the urban core is an important step in maximizing the efficient use of existing infrastructure and resources to protect our planet and ensure the economic viability of Pueblo.”
A recent example of the success in redeveloping Downtown Pueblo is the former Keating School. Pueblo used its grant to support the assessment of that property, which in turn was awarded an additional $1,000,000 grant for cleanup by the US EPA.
The meeting will be at the Robert Hoag Rawlings Library on Tuesday, Jun. 13 at 5 p.m. in the Thurston Room. The city said the public is invited to find out about the project, learn about future plans, ask questions and find out more about the target areas of the project. Speakers include the City of Pueblo Planning and Community Development Department and consultants from Partners.
For more information contact the City of Pueblo Planning and Community Development Department at 719-553-2259 or email planninganduse@pueblo.us. More information about the project can be found online at www.pueblo.us/.
