Variety of grant, technical assistance and revitalization programs related to brownfields to be discussed at HREDC event Sept. 15

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal Regional Port Authority, Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council and the Small Business Development Center at the HREDC will be the hosts of a Northeast Missouri Brownfields event from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 15 in the community room in the lower level of HomeBank, 3817 McMasters Ave.

Corey Mehaffy, executive director of the Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council, says the event will include presentations from the Environmental Protection Agency, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, K-State TAB and Impact 7G on a variety of grant, technical assistance and revitalization programs related to brownfields.

“Many of our communities have structures or sites that are plagued by hazardous materials,” Mehaffy said. “This scenario can create an unknown cost for potential developers that often leads to the developers walking away from the project. Utilizing these grant programs can allow communities to pay for a study to identify the hazardous materials and provide an estimate for the cleanup costs. Having this study not only helps to reduce the unknown for potential developers, but it also allows the communities to seek funding for cleanup.”

EPA representatives will present information on:

• Upcoming EPA competitions for competitive grants, including assessment grants, cleanup grants, job training grants, revolving loan fund grants and multi-purpose grants.
• EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment program: EPA contractor conducts Phase I/II environmental site assessments, risk assessments and develops cleanup options and cost estimates based on potential future use.
• EPA Land Revitalization Technical Assistance: EPA’s Land Revitalization program encourages communities to redevelop and reuse previously contaminated properties sustainably. Use of EPA contractor support provides direct technical assistance (site planning, visioning, economic analysis) to communities that wish to incorporate sustainable and equitable approaches to their locally-driven land revitalization projects

Missouri DNR representatives will present information on brownfields and cleanup programs at the state-level.

K-State Tab representatives will present information on free technical assistance to communities and other stakeholders with brownfields redevelopment efforts, including free workshops, webinars, online training and etool.

Impact 7G representatives walk through the necessary steps for bringing life back to stagnant properties. Brownfields specialists will provide an overview of property evaluation, assessment, reuse planning and remediation. Specialists will review funding resources and public/private partnerships that enable redevelopment, which can lead to the transformation of brownfields back into productive lands.

Representatives from the various organizations will be available for site/building tours in the region. Time in the program agenda is included for local communities to invite the representatives to tour specific buildings or sites they have identified as candidates for these programs.

“There are a lot of programs to assist with challenging redevelopment and re-use projects,” Mehaffy said. “Our goal with this event is to make communities, counties, other political subdivisions and businesses aware of these programs. Many of our communities are challenged with difficult sites and buildings and I am hopeful that these resources will help them find a way to move these projects forward.”

Following the presentations and tours on the 15th, the representatives will traveling to Canton to attend the Tri-State Development Summit at Culver-Stockton College. EPA representatives will provide a short overview of programs during the afternoon session on Sept. 16.

More information on the event can be found at https://hredc.com/news/hredc-partners-to-host- northeast-missouri-brownfields-event/. HREDC representatives request that attendees RSVP to director@hredc.com

HREDC works to promote financial investment in Hannibal, as well as Marion and Ralls counties.