Springfield builds $2M brownfields grant resume

Since 1999, the city has acquired more than $2.2 million to assess and clean up contaminated center city sites targeted for redevelopment, also known as brownfields. In May, the EPA Region 7 office recognized Springfield with an award for its sustainable redevelopment efforts, particularly the revitalization of historic Commercial Street, at the National Brownfields Conference in Detroit.

“It was a complete surprise, but we were just very appreciative because our partnership with EPA is what makes our program so successful,” said Olivia Hough, the city’s brownfields coordinator. “The buy-in from the community is also a big part.”

EPA officials who oversee the brownfields grant program for Region 7, which encompasses Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska, said Springfield owes much of its success to an exemplary public involvement process and a track record of leveraging more than $2 million against $175 million in private investment.

Alma Moreno Lahm, the brownfields project officer who is the EPA liaison for Springfield, said the city has established a “community-driven” model that began in the late 1990s with the Vision 20/20 planning process.

Economic Development Director Mary Lilly Smith was instrumental in establishing the city’s pursuit of brownfields grants in 1996, Lahm said. Three years later, Springfield acquired its first assessment grant – then called a pilot – for $200,000 to remove hazardous substances from selected brownfields.

The brownfields squad

A city committee distributes the brownfields grant money for public and private projects based on location, environmental need and the potential cost and community benefit of proposed redevelopment, Hough said.

Hough is among four Planning and Development Department employees who apply for and oversee brownfields grants. The group also includes Grants Administrator Vern Morgan, Development Economist Bill Weaver and Environmental Engineer Doug Durrington.

The city’s team has demonstrated leadership by proactively seeking out brownfields sites and emphasizing green concepts and sustainable redevelopment practices, Lahm said, noting that Morgan anticipated the green trend about three years ago.

In the last round of EPA brownfields grants announced in April, Springfield received a $200,000 cleanup grant for continued work at the Jordan Valley West Meadows site. The 16-acre former rail yard immediately west of the Grant Avenue viaduct bridge is contaminated with hydrocarbons, metals and volatile organic compounds. Hough said total cleanup costs for that property could exceed $1 million, and that city officials have drafted a list of financing options that will be presented July 22 to City Council.

Ahead of the pack

Steve Kovac, brownfields branch manager for EPA Region 7, said Springfield has fared well compared to other cities in the four-state region. Of the 845 proposals submitted by states, tribes and communities nationwide in the last cycle, 314 received grants totaling $74 million. Region 7 applicants received 26 grants for about $5 million, Kovac said.

“I think Springfield has been more successful than communities of similar size,” he added.

Those cities include Topeka, Kan.; Lincoln, Neb.; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. EPA spokeswoman Belinda Young said Topeka did not apply for any brownfields grants in the last cycle and that Lincoln received three cleanup grants that it later opted to forgo. Like Springfield, Cedar Rapids received a $200,000 cleanup grant, Young said.

Springfield’s growing brownfields résumé will be advantageous when applying for EPA grants in the future, Kovac said.

“Government agencies are being held accountable for performance and results,” he said. “Part of this national competition looks at what is the opportunity for redevelopment and reuse. They look at the performance and results of past grants, and I think that’s where Springfield has been very successful.”

To that end, city officials are forging ahead with brownfields projects and spreading the word about a $1 million revolving loan fund secured through an EPA grant last year.

Hough encouraged developers facing environmental cleanup on center city or north-side redevelopment projects to apply for low-interest loans available through the fund. In some cases, the city could negotiate loans with zero percent interest for one to two years, she added.

Later this month, city officials also will find out whether Springfield was selected by EPA to participate in two sustainability pilot programs that would provide up to $50,000 in consulting services.

One pilot would assess three Commercial Street buildings for possible Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, and the other involves a communitywide sustainability project that would evaluate ways to reduce storm water and carbon emissions, Hough said.