County says EPA brownfields grant could fund planning in Forest Lake; city staff, county discuss electrical capacity
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Summary
County and city staff told the Forest Lake City EDA that a prospective EPA brownfields grant could cover planning and environmental assessments at no local match; county staff said Forest Lake was among prior target areas and Connexus is studying limited electrical capacity in the city’s southwest/Tech Corridor.
Forest Lake City Economic Development Authority members heard updates Tuesday on a potential U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brownfields grant that county staff said could provide 100% funding for planning and environmental assessments. Chris, a county representative with the Community Development Agency (CDA), told the EDA the grant would fund phase 1/phase 2 environmental reviews and — if the new application is funded — could also be used for planning activities with no local match.
"This new grant could also be used for planning activities... no match required, 100% covered by the EPA," Chris said. He added the CDA selected Stantec via an RFP to assist on the application and administer the grant if awarded. Chris said the county would hope funds could be available by spring if the application is accepted, noting federal timing remains uncertain while parts of the federal government were closed.
Abby, a city/EDA staff member, told the board she and Chris recently met with Connexus leadership about electrical capacity constraints in the city’s southwest and the adjacent Tech Corridor. "Connexus was optimistic... but did also reiterate that the capacity in that area at the moment is low," Abby said, urging the EDA to think about projects that might need assessment or planning dollars.
During questions, Chris directed members to eastmetromsp.org for information on current EPA grant activities and said Forest Lake had been a target area in a previous round, along with Saint Paul Park and Newport. Commissioner Leggness asked whether the grant had been used for public-facility conversions; Chris said the CDA has used funds for projects such as studying old public works buildings and fire halls for adaptive reuse.
The EDA did not take formal action on the grant at this meeting. Staff and the county representative encouraged members to identify candidate sites that could qualify for assessment or planning assistance under the grant.
