State Brownfields Program offers assessment grants, resources for Beaver County reuse

Bill Reed, manager of the Brownfield Voluntary Cleanup Program at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, told the Beaver County Commission on Feb. 18 that brownfields'properties where redevelopment is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances'are common in both rural and urban Utah and that federal and state tools exist to address them.

"Brownfields are really a real property where the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse is complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollution, or contaminant," Reed said during a presentation to the commission and city staff. He described typical sites as former gas stations, dry cleaners, abandoned rail spurs and old industrial parcels and showed photos of Utah properties where assessment and cleanup enabled reuse.

The presentation explained how assessment grants can fund Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments to reduce uncertainty for developers and public agencies. Reed said the state program administers federal funding and a state assessment grant that has recently allowed the department to work in parts of Utah it had not previously served, including a number of rural communities. He cautioned that the department is pausing new projects under the state assessment grant until further guidance from the governor's office and other state authorities is finalized, but said Beaver County remains an area of interest.

Jen Abrams, the strategic development director who introduced the presentation, told commissioners the information is timely given local questions about the county's old hospital and other underused properties. She said county staff are considering a 3- to 5-year planning horizon for reuse and that having assessment information in hand helps the county negotiate with developers and plan reuse that protects public health while promoting economic activity.

Reed said the state grant can be used only by public entities (cities, counties) under the current grant rules, and that the department can perform assessments on private property only when the public entity is the applicant, or through the voluntary cleanup program for private parties. "We can actually do assessment on private property, but we do it for the public entity," he said, noting the program also has tools that can benefit private-sector redevelopment.

Commissioners and staff discussed likely local candidate sites Reed had mentioned earlier in the meeting: the old hospital building in Beaver, a car dealership parcel on the north end of Beaver City, and properties in the Milford industrial park and downtown Main Street. Abrams said the county will consider starting with one site or a corridor, engage the community, conduct area planning and then pursue assessment funding.

Reed recommended beginning with a targeted assessment and community planning so the county has information when a developer expresses interest. He described examples from around the state where assessment and cleanup led to housing, transportation hubs and other reused properties.

The presentation concluded with an offer from Reed's office to help Beaver County staff identify grant opportunities and the next steps for assessment and remediation if the county chooses to pursue them.

Votes at the meeting did not relate directly to Brownfields; commissioners took no formal action on a Brownfields-specific project during the session.