The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the City of Thomas a 2016 Brownfields Hazardous Substances Cleanup Grant of $200,000 to assist with the Riverfront Park Project.
In collaboration with the City of Thomas, New Historic Thomas worked closely with the Northern WV Brownfields Assistance Center and other partners to secure the grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up the Thomas West Riverfront site, across the river from downtown Thomas. Funding will also be used to support community involvement activities and reuse planning as a part of the Thomas Riverfront Park Development Plan.
The site operated from 1884 to 1965 as a railroad bed, a coal coking and mining site, and a dumping ground for coal mining refuse. It now sits unused as mine-scarred land and mining-related impacts to site soils have limited its reused and development. Cleanup funds will be used for engineering, permitting, and earthwork at the site to remediate mining impacts and prepare the Site for its planned reuse as a significant public park asset for the community.
“The City of Thomas is thrilled to receive another brownfields grant, and I want to personally thank all those who made it possible to continue work on the riverfront park property,” responded Mayor Matt Quattro.
The City of Thomas received its first brownfields $200,000 grant from the EPA in 2014 to conduct environmental assessments o
n the riverfront property and other downtown properties in order to determine if cleanup activities were needed. New Historic Thomas’ Director is continuing to manage that grant for the City alongside contracted environmental consultants, Downstream Strategies.
The EPA Brownfields Program:
“… empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism” (EPA News Release, 5/20/2016).
Visit the EPA newsroom website to read the official grant announcement press release.
New Historic Thomas is a non-profit community group dedicated to revitalizing the City of Thomas by preserving its history, cultural heritage, and resources that make the city unique. Visit New Historic Thomas’ website at www.newhistoricthomas.com for more information about the organization and its current projects, including the Thomas Riverfront Park Development Plan.
