| The Bremerton Housing Authority (BHA) is seeking public comments on pending applications to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Brownfields grants that could secure up to $200,000 per property for examining soils and groundwater for potential hazardous substance contamination at sites located on Kitsap Way and Oyster Bay Road.
Brownfields are properties where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a contaminant, pollutant or hazardous substance. The federal Brownfields program was created to help communities redevelop, reuse or expand land that — because of contamination — might otherwise be unusable.
“These EPA grants have resulted in economic recovery, created new jobs, and led to sustainable growth that helped revitalize many of our local communities. And the BHA has proven their success at rehabilitating challenging properties in Bremerton,” said Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes, grants consultant for the BHA.
If the application is successful, the grant would pay to perform evaluations of the properties looking for potential contamination and known or suspected hazardous material. Site assessment activities would be subcontracted to environmental contractors and coordinated with the State Department of Ecology’s Voluntary Toxics Clean-up program. Anticipated costs range from $100,000 to $200,000 per property, depending on specific site conditions. Grant funds will also be used to support community involvement activities.
As part of the EPA Brownfields process, the grant applications will be available for review and comments from the public are invited.
Once the public comment period ends on Oct. 10, the BHA will review all comments received and incorporate suggested changes into the grant proposal as appropriate or provide response to affected parties. If there are no significant changes, the applications are considered final and will be submitted. EPA is expected to announce the grants in early April 2008.
A draft application will be available at the BHA offices located at 345 6th Street Suite 200 in Bremerton during regular business hours and comments are invited until 3 pm, Wednesday, Oct. 10. Direct inquiries to Executive Director Kurt Wiest by telephone (360) 616-5626 or email to kwiest@bremertonhousing.org and to BHA’s grants consultant Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes at (360) 697-5815 or by email to kathleen@grantsolutions.biz. A meeting to discuss the application will be held on Monday, Oct. 8 from 3-4 pm at the Westpark Community Center on Russell Road in Bremerton.
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