Louisville City Wire

Louisville Metro Government’s Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund recently received a $1 million boost from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cleanup sites contaminated with hazardous substances. The dollars will recapitalize the fund, allowing the city to offer more below-market rate loans to developers and property owners to assist with the cleanup of brownfield properties and return them to productive use, with a focus on the Park Hill Industrial Corridor.

“Thank you to the EPA for these funds. We hope property owners will take advantage of this loan fund to cleanup some of the more than 140 brownfield properties in our city, making them more attractive to development,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg.

The loan can only be used for cleanup; it cannot be used for compliance monitoring, pre-cleanup environmental assessments or development activities that are not part of the cleanup. Subgrants are capped at $350,000.

A list of state brownfield sites can be found here: https://eec.ky.gov/Environmental-Protection/brownfields/Pages/ky-brownfield-inventory.aspx

More details about the Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund can be found here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/brownfield-redevelopment

Brownfield cleanup work to begin at Louisville Gardens

Louisville Metro Government has contracted Tetra Tech Inc. to begin environmental remediation work at Louisville Gardens on June 5, the next step in the redevelopment of the historic building into sound stages for music, film and digital production.

The total cost of the work is $1,399,948 and will be paid for through Louisville Metro Government’s Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund program. The remediation work is expected to take less than nine months and includes cleanup of lead dust on surfaces within the building, of asbestos-containing material and of suspected lead-based paint.

“One of the best ways we can grow our economy and create more good-paying jobs is ensuring that our city is ready when opportunities present themselves,” Mayor Greenberg said. “A project like the renovation of Louisville Gardens could be a game changer for our community, and I’m excited we’re moving forward ensuring this site is ready for further investment and, hopefully, it’s next phase.”

Since 2016, multiple environmental assessments and an analysis of brownfield cleanup alternatives have been completed to understand environmental hazards at the Louisville Gardens and what actions can be taken to remediate them. In 2018, Tetra Tech managed remediation work in the building focused on a PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) contamination found in the hydraulic systems of the three onsite elevators and associated shafts from leaking hydraulic oil. That remediation work was paid for with a $75,000 grant from the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection.

Louisville Metro Government is continuing negotiations with River City Entertainment Group LLC as the developer conducts its due diligence, including completing exploration of the current building conditions and obtaining estimates from contractors.

The proposed project will include restoring the façade of the Louisville Gardens back to the original design of the Louisville Armory, restoring the balance of the exterior, the offices and upstairs black box theatre, and redeveloping the internal structure to construct sound stages, retail space, and a public museum that would highlight the significant cultural events that occurred at Louisville Gardens.

Original source can be found here.