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For immediate release: Aug. 5, 2009 CONTACT: John Adams, Brownfields Program Coordinator PHONE: 258-3688 E-MAIL: [EMAIL REDACTED] CITY RECEIVES ADDITIONAL $900,000 EPA GRANT Stimulus Money will Boost Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund The City of Missoula has been awarded $900,000 through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grant for the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund. These funds will be added to the current Revolving Loan Fund and will be used for cleanup of brownfield sites in the City of Missoula. This grant, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will be used to help restore blighted Missoula properties, improving neighborhoods and generating jobs. “This boost to the loan fund is going to help Missoula businesses revitalize properties for new uses,” Mayor John Engen said. “The kind of private-public partnerships this grant fosters can make a lot of things happen, particularly when times are tough.” The additional money comes to Missoula with the confidence of Congress, the Obama administration, and the EPA. Revolving Loan Fund Grants like this one provide funding for state and local governments to offer low-interest loans and grants for cleanup activities at brownfield sites where redevelopment or use is otherwise complicated by the presence of pollutants or contaminants. Many of the brownfield sites located in Missoula’s urban core were once mill operations, such as those found at the former Champion Millsite and the former White Pine Sash site. The Revolving Loan Fund can reduce cleanup costs that might otherwise make redevelopment impractical. After cleanup is complete according to Montana Department of Environmental Quality standards, the sites can once again come to life and be used for commercial, recreational or residential purposes. This fall, the City will advertise an application process for the new money. The City of Missoula first received a Revolving Loan Fund grant for brownfield cleanup in 2004 for $1 million. In collaboration with the Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation, a cash match of $200,000 was added, bringing the fund total to $1.2 million. With that money, the City ---PAGE BREAK--- loaned $1,125,000 to the Millsite Redevelopment Project (MRP) for cleanup of the former Champion International Sawmill Site, a brownfield located in the heart of downtown Missoula. In 2008, the City received a supplemental $400,000 brownfields grant from EPA, for which applications are currently under review. If you have any questions or want details about this grant, please call John Adams, Brownfields Coordinator, at 258-3688. # Additional Contact: Cindy Wulfekuhle, Principal Grants Administrator 258-3795 [EMAIL REDACTED]