TOPEKA — The Kansas Brownfields Program has been selected to receive $600,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants Program. The program is a four-member group that includes the city of Ottawa. Brownfield sites are those properties where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said approximately 33 brownfields properties have been identified in Ottawa’s historic downtown district. Some of the grant will be used to assess former downtown properties that have been vacated, partly due to the U.S. 59 bypass which now directs traffic around Ottawa instead of through downtown. Following the brownfields assessment process, properties will be available for redevelopment. Other program members include Chanute, the Fort Scott Bourbon County Riverfront Authority, and the KDHE.
Monday, May 13, 2 p.m.
