Rawlins Residents Encouraged to Meet with Brownfield Grant Contractor

JULY 15, 2025 |

Photo – Rawlins Brownfield Grant info web page – Courtesy City of Rawlins

The state contractor hired to conduct hazard studies of Rawlins properties will meet with residents later this week.

This Thursday, July 17th, representatives from Ayres Associates will meet with the public to address potential contamination of some Rawlins buildings, including hazards such as lead and asbestos. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality hired Ayres Associates to assess properties across the state for potential qualification under the Environmental Protection Agency’s federal Brownfields program, which provides financial assistance to municipalities with abandoned or underutilized buildings that have known or suspected environmental contamination.

Rawlins Community Development Director Lou Lascano explained that the city was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Assistance Program. Lascano said the city will use the grant money to determine what, if any, environmental hazards exist at a variety of abandoned properties around the city.

Rawlins officials have collaborated with Ayres Associates to identify nine properties that may qualify for the Brownfields program. In addition to the areas Lascano already mentioned, the city is planning to conduct hazardous material studies on the Rectory, located at 1513 West Maple Street and a former propane site, located at 2224 West Spruce Street.

Lascano said on Thursday, July 17th, representatives from Ayres Associates will attend Music in the Park at Washington Park. The Community Development Director encouraged people to direct their questions about the Brownfields program to the Ayres team.

On the following day, Friday, July 18th, representatives from Ayres Associates will hold smaller pop-up meetings at locations around the city. Lascano said the goal is to ensure every resident has a chance to share feedback on the Brownfields program and the proposed cleanup sites.

Lascano asked residents who believe their properties may be contaminated to attend one of the five Ayres Associates meetings. With funding from the EPA grant, the city can pay for a Phase One study on the site, where Ayres Associates examines historical land use, ownership records, and industrial activity to determine whether a more in-depth assessment is necessary.

Rawlins Public Information Officer Mira Miller said landowners are under no obligation to act on the findings of the Phase One study, except under very specific circumstances. Otherwise, the property owner is receiving a valuable assessment at no cost.

Miller added that the majority of the properties under consideration for the Brownfields study are privately owned. Miller noted that residents may submit sites for consideration in the program, regardless of ownership.

Miller said the $500,000 EPA grant only covers the cost of the initial site studies and does not include funding for the actual cleanup. Community Development Director Lou Lascano added that the grant is unlikely to pay for assessments on every property that is submitted, but the city will fund as many studies as possible.

Representatives from Ayres Associates will host their first Brownfields community engagement meeting this Thursday, July 17th, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. during Music in the Park at Washington Park in Rawlins. On Friday, July 18th, Ayres Associates reps will visit Starbucks, the Depot Building, and the Rawlins Senior Citizens Center at different times throughout the day.

The city has also created a website containing details about the Brownfields program and the nine sites being considered for an environmental study. A link to the website will be included in this story when it is posted to Bigfoot99.com.

For more information about the Brownfields program or the upcoming public engagement meetings, call Rawlins Public Information Officer Mira Miller at 328-4500, extension 1022.

Rawlins Brownfields Website:Rawlins, Wyoming