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Gadsden County to advertise RFQ for $500,000 EPA Brownfields assessment grant
Summary
County staff told commissioners an EPA Brownfields assessment grant of $500,000 will fund a four-year site-prioritization and Phase I/II assessment program; the board will advertise an RFQ to hire consultants (paid by EPA) and form a stakeholder team to identify sites for future cleanup funding.
The board of Gadsden County commissioners discussed advertising a request for qualifications to hire professionals to conduct a countywide Brownfields assessment after staff said the county was awarded a $500,000 Environmental Protection Agency grant.
The presenter told commissioners the money will fund a four-year program to build a Brownfields team of stakeholders, identify and rank priority sites and perform Phase I (and where needed Phase II) assessments. "We were awarded $500,000 last year, and we have just worked out the documentation with the federal government," the presenter said. He added that the procurement is for professional services and that the county will not pay a cash match for the consultants.
Why this matters: identifying contaminated or potentially contaminated commercial and industrial sites — former gas stations, dry cleaners, industrial parcels and vacant buildings — can position the county to compete for larger implementation grants that pay to remediate land and make property available for reuse.
County staff explained how the program will work: awarded consultants will assist with site identification and prioritization and take the lead on technical assessments, while the county will provide limited staff time to support the effort. "The procurement of the professional, they're paid directly by the EPA," the presenter said, and staff time is expected to be covered from the grant with typical staff-cost estimates in the low tens of thousands over the multiyear program.
Commissioners suggested candidate sites to include Post Plant Road parcels, old service stations with underground tanks and abandoned school properties. Some commissioners urged that staff move quickly so Gadsden County can pursue larger implementation grants once priority sites are ready. The presenter said the county will assemble a stakeholder committee after the consultant is procured and that the committee's recommendations will return to the board for review.
Next steps: the board directed staff to advertise the RFQ so the county can select a consultant and begin the stakeholder process. Final procurement and any contract award were not completed at the workshop; staff indicated materials and past-project examples from the shortlisted firms will be distributed to commissioners before further action.
