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City of Kalispell, Montana 2013 Kalispell Brownfield Program HOW TO PARTICIPATE The first step in the Kalispell Brownfield Program is to meet with City staff to discuss your redevelopment goals for the property and how your property may fit with the projects goals and priorities. Upon a verbal or written request to participate, the proposed assessment is forwarded to the Brownfield Steering Committee for review. With their concurrence, a Site Eligibility Form will be completed and submitted to EPA for approval. For additional information and to determine if your property is eligible for assessment, or to be added to our mailing list please contact the City of Kalispell, Community Development Department. Katharine Thompson Community Development Manager 201 1st Avenue East Kalispell, MT 59901 [PHONE REDACTED] [EMAIL REDACTED] Goals of the Kalispell Brownfield Program The goals of this program are to conduct site assessments to remove environmental uncertainty and to facilitate revitalization of properties in the City of Kalispell. Assessments may be done throughout the city with focus on Kalispell’s Core Revitali- zation Area adjacent to the historic BNSF railroad tracks that once carried the Gallop- ing Goose. Prior to completing assessments, the city, with its economic development partners and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, will inventory and generally rank sites in the Revitalization Area. Assessments will be completed on properties having the greatest potential for revitalization and community support. ---PAGE BREAK--- In 2009 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the City of Kalispell a Brownfields Assess- ment Grant in the amount of $400,000 to conduct environ- mental site assessments as part of a larger plan to revitalize properties within Kalispell. Using these funds the City has inventoried and prioritized Brownfields sites, completed 8 phase I and 2 phase II site assessments, and developed cleanup plans for those sites which have the greatest potential for redevelopment. In 2010 the EPA awarded the City of Kalispell a Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program grant in the amount of $175,000. The purpose of this project was to work with our community to develop a vision and concept for revitalization of the core industrial area of Kalispell. This grant resulted in a multi-faceted public outreach and engagement process focused on the town’s historic, indus- trial railroad corridor. The Kalispell City Council formally adopted the “Core Area Plan” as an amendment to its growth policy in 2012 and extended a nearby Tax Incre- ment Finance District to include the Core Area, making this financial tool available for revitalization of the area. In 2011, the EPA awarded the City of Kalispell a Brownfield Clean-Up Revolving Loan Fund grant in the amount of $1,000,000. These funds will be made available to eligible applicants for low-interest loans for the purpose of remediating Brownfields sites. Renewal Reinvestment Revitalization The Kalispell Brownfield Program is voluntary. Public or private property owners can use grant funds to address regulatory agency requirements, complete the sale of their property, or to learn more about their property should they consider selling it. The assessments are completed at no cost to the property owner, and information on the pres- ence/absence of contamination is provided to the owner upon completion of the work. In addition, any site assessed by the City is potentially eligible for cleanup grant funds from the Environmental Protection Agency. Eligibility Any property where the expansion, redevelop- ment, or reuse is complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance may be eligible for funding. Typical sites include abandoned gas stations, refineries and bulk plants, dry cleaners, post and pole treatment plants, and buildings containing asbestos and lead based paint. Benefits of participating in the Kalispell Brown- field Program are numerous. The information generated may be used by the property owner to satisfy purchaser concerns, regulatory agency requirements, or simply to evaluate whether or not environmental contamination exists on the property.