DNR Awards Brownfield Grants To Douglas County, City Of Evansville And Kenosha County

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that it has awarded brownfield assessment services to Douglas and Kenosha counties and the city of Evansville to assist with investigating potential contamination.

The awards are through the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies program, which provides contractor services to communities to assess environmental conditions at eligible brownfield sites. A brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse is complicated by real or potential contamination. Brownfields vary in size, location, age and past use.

The awards will support environmental assessments in Foxboro, Evansville and Kenosha:

• Foxboro – A 0.72-acre property located at 272 East County Road B in Foxboro was formerly used as a gas station and acquired by the county through tax delinquency. Two underground tanks were removed in 2023, and contamination from petroleum is suspected. The award will help Douglas County conduct the environmental assessments needed to plan the cleanup of the property and encourage reuse.
• Evansville – With the award, the city will assess the potential environmental contamination of a 0.57-acre property at 170 East Church Street. The property is located near a waterway in downtown and historically used for auto repair and painting. The site was acquired by the city in 2020 and identified as a priority for redevelopment.
• Kenosha – A vacant 0.2-acre parcel located at 2907 63rd Street in the city of Kenosha was once home to an auto body shop. Although tanks and soil were previously removed, remaining questions about soil and groundwater conditions have slowed efforts to clean up and redevelop the property. Environmental assessment activities will be performed to determine if additional contamination remains on the property.

“The DNR is proud to work in partnership with local governments to assess and address potential contamination,” said Jodie Thistle, DNR Brownfield, Policy and Outreach section manager. “These awards allow the communities to take an important step in transforming underused properties into assets that benefit residents, local economies and the environment.”

Since 2009, the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies program has provided over $3.3 million in services and grant funds to over 70 communities across Wisconsin, partnering to help clean up and redevelop often run-down or underused properties that detract from a community’s potential. Because no local financial match is required, the Wisconsin Assessment Monies program grants present an attractive opportunity for communities to learn about environmental conditions. Applications for assistance may be submitted to the DNR at any time.

Interested in learning how cleaning up brownfields can help your community? The DNR’s series of on-demand Brownfields Fundamentals webinars covers planning, cleanup, liability and other topics as part of a well-rounded crash course in Wisconsin brownfield redevelopment.

The DNR has a wide range of financial and liability tools available to help local governments, businesses, lenders and others clean up and redevelop brownfields in Wisconsin, including Ready for Reuse financial awards, which may be used for environmental cleanup. DNR staff around the state are available to meet with community leaders, bankers, developers and private individuals to discuss brownfield projects through Green Team meetings.

More information about the DNR’s brownfield cleanup programs and services is available on the DNR’s brownfields webpage.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.