Route 66 Brownfields grant aims to speed property cleanups in northern Arizona; county will use EPA funds to remediate historic jail parcel

The Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) is administering a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brownfields assessment grant covering large parts of northern Arizona; the grant program and a county‑funded brownfield remediation project at the historic jail site on Route 66 were discussed at the Coconino County Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 1 meeting.

Grant overview and eligibility Dave Laney, a consultant working with the Route 66 Brownfield Coalition, described the BAC (brownfields assessment) grant: the coalition secured $1.5 million from EPA in 2024 to fund environmental site assessments, hazardous‑building‑materials surveys and site reuse planning across the NACOG region. The award is a four‑year, 100% federal grant. Laney said the grant covers public‑ and privately‑owned properties that could benefit from voluntary assessment; the program is not an enforcement action.

How the program helps property owners Laney explained the most common uses: Phase I environmental records reviews (historical use, Sanborn maps, aerials), Phase II targeted sampling if a recognized environmental condition is identified, and hazardous‑building‑materials surveys for asbestos, lead-based paint, PCBs and the like. "For every $1 of this grant that's invested, something like $20 to $23 from other sources is also invested in that same property," Laney said, citing EPA data on brownfields leverage. He emphasized the county can nominate properties and property owners may apply; early nominations get priority because funds are limited.

Coconino County old jail site Coconino County staff reported the county holds a separate EPA brownfields award that funds assessment and cleanup work at the historic jail parcel adjacent to the courthouse on Route 66. Senior construction manager Jeff Stein summarized prior work: the county completed Phase I and Phase II assessments and an Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA), which identified asbestos, lead and mold as the primary hazards. The county is finalizing procurement documents and plans to bid remediation work; the project budget under the EPA award is approximately $573,000 for cleanup plus additional site‑reuse planning funds.

Historic fabric and reuse planning Stein said the county intends to remediate hazardous materials and preserve and salvage significant historic elements of the 1890s sandstone jail where feasible; non‑historic 20th‑century additions will likely be demolished because their footprint and construction make adaptive reuse impractical. Staff emphasized reuse planning is a required grant element: the county will engage the public to shape interim and longer‑term reuse of the parcel, which the county’s facilities master plan anticipates could host a future consolidated justice facility and related public space.

How to nominate properties Laney asked municipal officials, developers and property owners to nominate candidate sites through NACOG; he said NACOG’s outreach and the county’s own inventory already identified many candidate parcels. Nomination requires a short two‑page form; once nominated, eligible sites are prioritized by a brownfields advisory committee that includes local stakeholders.

Why it matters The coalition grant and the county’s own brownfield remediation project can remove uncertainty about site contamination, unlock financing, spur redevelopment and raise surrounding property values. County staff said remediation of the old jail site would allow the county to clear obstacles to future reuse while salvaging historic material for interpretation.

Next steps NACOG continues outreach and solicits site nominations; Coconino County expects to advertise remediation work for the old jail brownfield and to begin cleanup procurement this winter, subject to procurement timetables and, where applicable, federal agency timelines.