December 15, 2023 |
Photo – Now abandoned water treatment facility in Saratoga – Bigfoot99 file photo
Saratoga’s Planning Commission is looking to secure federal funding to clean up two town owned properties and build house for low-income residents on the property.
During the November 21st Saratoga town council meeting, Public Works Director Emery Penner said the planning commission was trying to obtain a brownfields assistance grant. Penner said the grant would be used to determine if the town’s abandoned water treatment plant and old police station, both located on South River Street, contained hazardous materials. The public works director said the town would not have to pay anything for the investigation. Mayor Chuck Davis asked if the town would be legally required to clean up the two sites if something dangerous was discovered during the inspections. Penner said he did not know.
The council instructed Penner to contact the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and make sure the town wouldn’t be getting itself into a potentially costly situation by accepting the brownfields assistance grant.
At the December 5th Saratoga town council meeting, Penner said Planning Commission Chairwoman McCall Burau contacted a representative from Wyoming DEQ. Penner said the DEQ rep provided the town with unclear information. To ensure the town wasn’t walking blindly into a financial trap, the public works director said he would like to have Town Attorney Kylie Waldrip look over the documents before the council decides the issue.
Penner said he hopes to have an answer by the next council meeting on December 19th.
The public works director also addressed affordable housing. In April of this year, Planning Commission Chairwoman Burau contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture for federal assistance to build low-cost housing.
At the December 5th Saratoga town council meeting, Penner said the planning commission has been working on ways to secure federal money to help cover the cost of building low-cost homes. However, Penner said the town doesn’t meet the criteria for the available funding sources.
Penner said new home construction is keeping pace with growth. The public works director said building permit fees brought in over $50,000 for the town. Responding to a question from Mayor Davis, Penner said the town is growing at a consistent rate.
Penner said a constant growth of 1.2% is manageable for the town.
The public works director said he will have more information about the brownfields assistance grant and affordable housing programs at the December 19th town council meeting.
