$7.8 million to be spent cleaning up polluted sites in Selma, Montgomery and other local areas

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will spend $7.8 million to clean up polluted “brownfield” sites in our area. The announcement was made today by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama).

Here are locations in our area that will be receiving funding:

Craig Field Airport and Industrial Authority in Selma – $556,000
Grant funds will be used to clean up the half-acre Craig Field Gym Complex located at Building 316, Avenue C. The cleanup site was formerly used as a recreational facility by Craig Air Force Base personnel and houses a historical gym that is severely dilapidated and vacant. It is contaminated with inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also will be used to prepare a Community Involvement Plan and conduct community engagement activities.

Gabriela Apartments, Inc. in Selma – $1,274,500
Grant funds will be used to clean up the Old Baptist Hospital located at 15 Riverview Avenue. The 3.3-acre cleanup site operated as a hospital from 1924 to 1978 and then as an office building until 2003. The site is vacant with a collapsed roof and worn and weathered walls. It is contaminated with benzo(a)pyrene and inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also will be used to develop a Community Involvement Plan and conduct community engagement activities.

Montgomery – $500,000 Assessment Grant
Grant funds will be used to conduct 21 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, prepare four cleanup and three reuse plans, develop a Community Involvement Plan, and support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will occur in the West Montgomery and Centennial Hill communities. Priority sites include the historic Ben Moore Hotel, two abandoned dry cleaners and a 3-acre former gas station and auto repair shop.

Alabama Department of Environmental Management – $2,000,000 Assessment Grant
Grant funds will be used to conduct 20 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop a strategic Redevelopment Plan and conduct community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are the towns of Union Springs, Autaugaville and the city of York, which have been impacted by an economic shift from agriculture to industrial manufacturing. Priority sites include a downtown block across from the current city hall, an abandoned fueling station, and an old drugstore in the City of York; Newtown Park and an old warehouse in Union Springs; and an old school building in Autaugaville.

Other communities in the state outside of our area are also receiving EPA grants.

These awards are part of a $300 million nationwide investment into Brownfield sites by the Biden Administration to address legacy pollution, advance environmental justice and create healthier communities.

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse.

— Information from the Office of U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Alabama)