“It was fantastic news to all of us on the “Kitsap Peninsula” netting half of the grants awarded in this state!” exclaimed an elated Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes of Grant-Solutions, who wrote the three proposals for the City of Bremerton, Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority (KCCHA), and Gig Harbor.

These efforts by Byrne-Barrantes will result in the direct injection of over $561,000 into the local economy, an amount that will be multiplied many times over by the eventual clean up of these properties and their subsequent productive uses.

Communities in 44 states and two territories, as well as three tribes will share $70 million in grants to bring blighted property back to life. The grants, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, promote the redevelopment of abandoned and contaminated or potentially contaminated waste sites. In all, 209 applicants were selected to receive 292 grants for assessment or cleanup of properties.

In addition to industrial and commercial redevelopment, brownfields approaches have included the conversion of industrial waterfronts to riverfront parks, landfills to golf courses, rail corridors to recreational trails, and gas stations to housing. EPA’s Brownfields assistance has leveraged more than $8.2 billion in private investment, helped create 37,525 jobs and resulted in the assessment of 8,374 properties and the cleanup of 93 properties.

“By using brownfields program funding to leverage redevelopment, EPA partners with public and private entities to revitalize blighted properties and move them back into productive use,” said Michael Bogert, EPA regional administrator in Seattle. “By empowering state and local redevelopment officials to generate and oversee brownfields activities, we promote a collaborative approach that ensures that local solutions are used to solve local problems.”

Byrne-Barrantes had elicited the support of Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) after the Cities and KCCHA were notified by EPA Region 10 that their proposals had passed the threshold criteria, determined to be eligible for brownfields funding, and went on to be ranked by a national panel.

“I felt that Maria would support these proposals as she has been a strong advocate for environmental issues in Washington. Last fall the EPA, at the urging of Cantwell, had taken over cleanup of an Asarco site. Asarco owned the site but it had halted cleanup efforts because the trust-fund allocation has dried up, and because the bankruptcy filing has caused remediation contractors to pull out due to lack of payment,” said Byrne-Barrantes. Using emergency funds, the agency has resumed work again on 17 residential lots in Ruston, Washington, that have been contaminated by arsenic and lead.

“Asarco may have abandoned its responsibilities, but we haven’t,” said Cantwell.

“I was pleased to partner with the City of Bremerton, Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority, the City of Gig Harbor and the EPA in pursuit of these federal brownfields grants,” said Cantwell who provided support and requested EPA provide these funds.

“Bremerton continues to change and this $200,000 grant will allow for cleanup and redevelopment for the Old Bremerton Gasworks and Sesko properties. These brownfields redevelopment funds will in turn provide jobs for the city, invite continued redevelopment in the urban core, stimulate economic development, expand the tax base and developable land in downtown,” said Cantwell.

 The $161,024 brownfields grant KCCHA received will be used to clean up a Port Orchard site slated for affordable senior housing. The KCCHA plans to begin clean up in spring of 2007 and begin construction of the senior apartments in 2008. The property – currently owned by the city – originally served as a Kitsap County public works facility.

“So many of our senior citizens live on fixed incomes, and can barely pay their rent, much less come up with money for groceries and medicine,” Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel said. “When the city asked KCCHA to build housing for seniors, they built Port Orchard Vista, which gives 42 of our seniors an affordable, attractive place to live. But we need more, and as soon as this property is cleaned up, KCCHA is going to build more.” Abel also serves on the KCCHA board.

“These brownfields’ redevelopment funds are important to restore historically industrial areas back to their original state, which is great for the environment we all care so much about and will stimulate economic development, and improve the quality of life for Port Orchard residents,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell.

The City of Gig Harbor was selected to receive a $200,000 brownfields cleanup grant for the Eddon Boathouse site consisting of two parcels and associated tidelands on Harborview Drive. Historic use was a boathouse and boats have been built on the site since the 1920s.

Under private ownership, these properties were proposed for a housing development by the Harbor Cove Group. The community compelled the City of Gig Harbor to acquire the properties for park purposes and public shoreline access.

Gig Harbor has a history of industry that included lumber, boat building, and logging. The city hopes to preserve a portion of its historic waterfront and boat building history in the downtown area and provide public water access.

“This federal brownfields grant funding will allow the continued cleanup and redevelopment and be a nice investment in beautiful Gig Harbor that is seeing tremendous infrastructure opportunities across the community and help expand the tax base and developable land,” said Cantwell.

Byrne-Barrantes secured support letters from Congressman Norm Dicks, the Suquamish Tribe, State Senator Phil Rockefeller, State Representatives Sherry Appleton and Derek Kilmer, Washington Departments of Fish & Wildlife and Ecology, on down to local groups including the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce, Kitsap Community Resources, YWCA, Kitsap Homebuilders Foundation, Kitsap Health District, Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, Kitsap Economic Development Council, and Kitsap Trees & Shoreline Association.

“We are extremely proud to have supported and requested EPA to seek Brownfield’s funding for Bremerton, Port Orchard and Gig Harbor and look forward to sharing the good news with the citizens of Kitsap County,” said Robert Thoms, Director for Pierce, Kitsap Co. & Olympic Peninsula in the Office of Senator Maria Cantwell.

The brownfields program encourages turning America’s estimated 450,000 problem properties to productive community use. Since the beginning of the brownfields program, EPA has awarded 883 assessment grants totaling $225.4 million, 202 revolving loan fund grants totaling $186.7 million, and 238 cleanup grants totaling $42.7 million.

The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act authorize up to $250 million in funds annually for brownfields grants. For more information on the Brownfields program, visit www.epa.gov/brownfields.