County advances assessment and planning for Praefke Bridal brownfield in West Bend

WASHINGTON COUNTY — Washington County executive committee members on Tuesday reviewed a multi-part plan to assess and ready the Praefke Bridal Site in West Bend for redevelopment and to seek an extension of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revolving loan fund (RLF) support. The county’s overview said the RLF award tied to the site dates to 2020 and is due to expire in September; staff described the fund as a loan program that supports remediation and requires a community involvement plan and public meetings. “The revolving loan fund grant is actually, kind of a tough nut to crack in terms of finding the right site to use the funds,” Aaron Dahl, a county staff member, told the committee. Why it matters: The Praefke site sits next to the Eisenbahn Trail and within a residential area that local officials have identified as a priority redevelopment parcel. The county and the city of West Bend are assembling assessment, cleanup and reuse plans so the site can move to private redevelopment without leaving remediation costs for future owners. What the committee heard: County staff said the Site Redevelopment Committee (SRC) approved funding for a Phase I environmental site assessment (ESA) that is under $10,000. The county has two requests before the executive committee: a) a match to a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) site assessment grant (a $150,000 grant that carries a 33.33% local match requirement), and b) $47,500 for reuse planning and market analysis to guide eventual redevelopment concepts. Aaron Dahl explained the match arrangement: the total local match request is $50,000, with the county providing $40,000 and the city of West Bend $10,000. Dahl said the city has agreed to return 20% of its match to the county if the grant is awarded. The committee approved the county match by voice vote. County staff also reported SRC preliminary recommendations to the revolving-loan committee: up to $580,000 in an RLF loan for abatement, demolition, subsurface remediation and reporting, and SRC-authorized funding not to exceed about $16,000 to prepare an eligibility determination, community involvement plan and cleanup analysis needed to apply for the RLF loan. On contamination and prior work: County staff said assessments and cleanup work were done in the 1980s and 1990s and that more recent efforts removed substantial stored materials and some asbestos. “The eighties and the work is to confirm the assessment work from the eighties and nineties because there is different regulations,” Adam, a county staff member, said, adding that another plume on the site was previously identified but not fully assessed. Redevelopment planning: The reuse-planning request would fund concept plans, site analysis and a market analysis to show feasible end uses and to support future funding applications. Staff said reuse planning is typically used by a developer to inform design and that having public involvement and concepts in place can help with later funding applications, including RLF financing. Committee action and next steps: The committee approved the county’s $40,000 contribution for the WEDC site-assessment grant match and approved the $47,500 reuse-planning request (county share $38,000, city share $9,500) by voice votes. Staff will proceed with the Phase I ESA already funded by SRC and continue preparing the RLF application materials and community involvement plan. Background and context: County staff said the site entered receivership via court action to allow assessment and cleanup work after an owner convicted for illegally storing hazardous material; Waste Management and the EPA removed some materials and asbestos under DNR and EPA involvement, but additional assessment and remediation remain. The county emphasized that RLF loans are repaid and that forgiveness is a remote possibility that would be discussed later if applicable. The committee did not authorize any RLF loans; SRC provided a preliminary recommendation that will go to the revolving loan committee for action. Less critical: The reuse plan deliverables include concept drawings and a market analysis; the county noted that final redevelopment will likely require city zoning and land-use changes before private developers assume the site.