Junction City, Manhattan and Ogden could benefit from a $500,000 grant by the Environmental Protection Agency to the Flint Hills Regional Council. The money is part of the $254.5 million in Brownfield grants for 265 selected communities across the nation.
The Flint Hills Regional Council was selected for community-wide assessment work and the development of reuse plans for Junction City, Manhattan and Ogden. Priority assessment sites within those cities include: Junction City’s Historic Downtown along the Republican River; East and Central Core Districts in Manhattan; and the Riley Avenue Revitalization area in Ogden.
Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals. Once cleaned up, former brownfield properties can be redeveloped into productive uses, such as grocery stores, affordable housing, health centers, museums, parks, and solar farms.
The Brownfields program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86% of the communities selected to receive funding as part of Tuesday's announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.
“EPA Region 7 is proud to announce the selection of the Flint Hills Regional Council for a Brownfields grant,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meghan A. McCollister. “The Brownfields program has a proven record of empowering communities through benefits ranging from local job creation to increased property values. This investment will uplift Flint Hills residents and provide measurable and meaningful change to those who live in rural Flint Hills communities.”