(Red Oak) Today, at the Red Oak fire station, EPA Region 7 Land, Chemical and Redevelopment Division Director DeAndre Singletary presented a $500,000 award to the City of Red Oak for their selection to receive a Brownfields Assessment Grant.
Singletary was joined by Red Oak Mayor Shawna Silvius and Red Oak Mayor Pro Tem Tim Fridolph. Silvius said over the past three years the City undertook a comprehensive and ambitious process. They invited key stakeholders to the table, toured and examined sites with a critical eye, and engaged the honest conversations about the community’s challenges and dreams. She said with this grant they will embark on a series of 13 Phase 1 and 6 Phase 2 environmental site assessments focusing on properties that have long been underutilized or overlooked.
Silvius said bringing these properties back on the tax rolls will strengthen their economic foundation, while new opportunities for business development and job creation will invigorate the community’s spirit.
Silvius thanked the U.S. EPA Heartland Region, their partners and every individual who played a role in this journey.
Tim Fridolph said this grant isn’t just about testing soil or evaluating old buildings, it’s about giving the community a chance to look forward, to see possibility where there has been uncertainty, and to take action where for years progress may have felt out of reach.
This grant is part of the FY 2025 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, Cleanup Grants, and RLF Supplemental Funding announced in May.
EPA’s Brownfields program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfields grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive use.
You can hear the full presentation below:
