A balcony view from the new River North Apartments in Manitowoc's downtown River Point District May 12, 2023. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Three Northeast Wisconsin municipalities received grants to investigate environmental contamination in their communities.
The Wisconsin DNR granted Calumet County, the city of Manitowoc and the city of Brillion $75,000 each through its Assessment Monies program.
The funds will support investigations of contamination at eligible brownfield sites in all three communities and the development of action plans to address the contamination.
Brownfields are abandoned, idle and underused commercial or industrial properties where potential contamination stalls reuse.
Calumet County secured a grant for activities at a county-owned 1.97-acre brownfield property close to Lake Winnebago in Quinney. Calumet County acquired the property in 2020 through tax foreclosure. It previously worked with the DNR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address environmental concerns associated with its past use as a metal plating facility. The grant supports further assessment of contamination and the development of a plan for remedial actions to allow for redevelopment.
The city of Manitowoc will use its grant to sample soil and groundwater at a 3.55-acre site along the Manitowoc River within the River Point District. The site, formerly used as a lumber mill and a coal storage and docking area, is targeted for redevelopment into multi-family residential townhomes, a riverwalk and greenspace. Sampling results will be used to develop a cleanup plan and allow the city to provide additional housing for the community.
The grant to the city of Brillion supports the assessment of a 5.7-acre site within the Brillion Iron Works brownfield redevelopment area, the location of a former foundry that closed in 2016. The city-owned site is targeted for redevelopment into a boutique hotel, meeting space and restaurant. The former foundry buildings were razed, and the city began investigating environmental conditions at the property. The grant will support further investigation of soil and groundwater conditions, which will aid planning efforts to clean up and safely redevelop the property.
Since 2009, the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies program has provided nearly $3.3 million to 70 communities, partnering to help clean up and redevelop often run-down or underused properties that detract from a community’s potential. Applications for assistance may be submitted to the DNR at any time.
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