Contacts:
Darsi Foss, Department of Natural Resources, 608-267-6713
Jessica Erickson, Governor’s Office, 608-261-2156
FOND DU LAC – Governor Jim Doyle today announced Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) grants totaling $250,000 to the communities of
Fond du Lac and Oshkosh to help clean up contaminated properties for public
use.
The grants – the first of their kind in the nation – are
part of DNR’s Greenspace and Public Facilities Grant Program, aimed at
helping communities add public spaces and public buildings to urban areas
through brownfields cleanup and reuse. Brownfields are abandoned, idle, or
underused industrial or commercial properties where redevelopment is
hindered by real or perceived contamination.
“Re-using urban brownfields and turning them into parks,
public libraries, and soccer fields is critical to growing Wisconsin’s
economy,” Governor Doyle said. “This new program helps communities rid
themselves of environmental threats and blighted sites, and replace them
with new green spaces and public facilities, spurring neighborhood
improvements and attracting new homeowners and businesses. National studies
have shown that the closer residential housing is to open spaces or parks,
the higher the property value becomes.”
The Governor noted that the state received applications for
almost twice as much funding as was available under the new grant program.
Grant recipients are required to match state funding with
20-50 percent of their own dollars. Private investment stimulated by these
redevelopment projects may lead to millions more in local improvements.
“These communities went above and beyond the required
contribution and, combined with other potential state and federal grants,
these projects will be great catalysts for future growth,” the Governor
said.
The two grants will lead to the reuse of 18 acres of
property. The grant recipients have already performed environmental
assessments for each project. The local governments will now apply the new
Greenspace and Public Facilities grants toward developing control and
cleanup measures for soil and groundwater that contains hazardous
substances.
The communities and projects receiving Wisconsin’s first
Greenspace and Public Facilities grants include:
Oshkosh: Riverside Park, $200,000 – Oshkosh is expanding
Riverside Park with a new amphitheater and developing a river-walk and
convention center on the site of several brownfields, including one that
contained a coal gas production plant. The City of Oshkosh will match the
state funds with $300,000.
Fond du Lac: Park and Trail, $50,000 – Fond du Lac is
turning the former Quick Freeze site into a small park with a trail along
the Fond du Lac River. A portion to the east will be privately developed
for multifamily housing or other uses. The City of Fond du Lac will match
the state funds with $18,872.
A total of 11 applicants will receive Greenspace and Public
Facilities grants in 2004. Governor Doyle plans to award additional grants
later in the year.
More information about Greenspace and Public Facilities
grants and other potential brownfield funding is available on DNR’s
Remediation and Redevelopment Program web site at
www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/rr/financial/index.htm.
