May 31, 2023 |
Photo – Old Golden West Motel in Rawlins – Courtesy bypassedbyI80.com
The city of Rawlins received a government grant to remediate abandoned and dangerous buildings.
Last Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment grant to Rawlins. The EPA issued 18 Brownfields grants and Rawlins was the only Wyoming community to receive government funding. Since 1995, the EPA’s Brownfields Program has given about $2.37 billion in grants to clean up polluted sites and revitalize neglected areas.
Using the EPA’s assessment grant, the city will evaluate several blighted properties and determine if they can be reused for another purpose.
Executive Director of Rawlins Downtown Development Authority Main Street Pam Thayer said a team of city employees have been working for over a year on the Brownfields project.
Thayer said she and her team have created a map of buildings in the city that meet the Brownfields criteria. She explained that the city would not consider private homes for remediation.
Thayer said the EPA grant only allows the city to perform assessments on Brownfields qualified properties. The studies would begin by determining ownership of the land and ascertaining if any heavy metals or other toxic materials were present. Rawlins Public Information Officer Mira Miller explained how the Brownfields assessment would be used to evaluate if a property needed decontamination.
Thayer said the city’s Brownfields team would use the studies to determine which properties were most in need of remediation. She said the properties with the greatest potential to be revitalized would be addressed first.
Thayer said the old Golden West Motel, at 822 West Pine Street, in Rawlins, will be one of the first buildings the city addresses using Brownfields funding. She said the property would be better used for lower cost housing.
Thayer said she understands the public’s frustration when they see derelict buildings not being dealt with. She said it’s not a simple matter for the city to clean up the properties. Thayer said four obstacles stand in way of the city’s rehabilitation attempts.
Thayer said any privately owned properties identified through the Brownfields assessments would require the owner’s permission before any work could be done.
