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North Wilkesboro accepts $1.77 million EPA cleanup grant for Jenkins Spookannery site
Summary
The board voted to accept an EPA cleanup grant of $1,768,578 for the Jenkins Spookannery site and discussed procurement timelines, Brownfields protections and the need for a grants administrator and qualified environmental professional to lead remediation and community engagement.
The North Wilkesboro Board of Commissioners accepted an EPA cleanup grant of $1,768,578 to remediate the Jenkins Spookannery site off Maple Street and began planning next steps, including hiring a grants administrator and procuring a qualified environmental professional (QEP) to guide testing and remediation.
Staff explained that the EPA award uses a drawdown model rather than a lump sum, with the grant performance period running through Sept. 30, 2029. The town’s staff described prior Phase I and II testing performed before the town took ownership and said those assessments supported the grant application.
“We were the only town in North Carolina awarded an EPA cleanup grant,” staff (Speaker 12) said, noting that the award will focus first on derelict buildings and soil contamination in the floodplain and that federal procurement and EPA rules will affect the timeline. Staff warned that full site remediation may not be possible depending on contaminants encountered and that some work (for example, asbestos removal or hazardous waste handling) will require specialized disposal procedures.
Board members discussed the smokestack on the larger parcel and the public sensitivity around removing the landmark; staff said the smokestack parcel sits on about three acres and that removal is not planned at this time without further public input. The board also discussed entering a Brownfields agreement with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to manage liability and future redevelopment once cleanup work is completed.
Staff said the next steps include onboarding the grants administrator named in the grant packet, conducting public input sessions, completing QEP testing and assembling procurement documents. Staff cautioned that federal processes can be slow but projected that visible movement—such as building removal—could begin within the next 12 months once procurement and QEP guidance are in place.
The board voted to accept and receive the grant and to proceed with the administrative steps required to implement the program.
