Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman and Governor Andy Beshear announced Thursday that 10 Kentucky communities and agencies have been selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to receive a combined $7.9 million in grant funding — funding that will help with assessment and clean up of “brownfields.”
These sites are all industrial and commercial properties that reportedly, or are suspected, to have hazardous contaminants.
Among those receiving assistance: Caldwell County and its Board of Education, which is in line for a $499,900 “Cleanup Grant” to remove materials from an annex building prior to its demolition and reconstruction as a space for recreation and community programming.
In a written statement, Caldwell County Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Roach confirmed it would assist with needed work to the former Butler High School — a place he said has a “long-standing tradition” of being a central hub to the Princeton community.
Goodman noted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill has “more than tripled” the number of brownfield funding opportunities across the state. The program has been around for more than two decades, and empowers local governments, 501(c)(3) non-profits and quasi-governmental agencies to improve sites.
