Cleaning up contaminated brownfield sites in East Chicago, Gary and Hammond takes on new focus thanks to two federal grants.
Firms interested in providing professional environmental services related to the brownfield redevelopment programs in those three cities are being asked to provide qualifications for grants through the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.
The EPA awarded two grants to the RDA. A $600,000 grant is to assess contaminated brownfield sites in those cities. The second $800,000 grant will establish a revolving loan fund to help clean up those sites.
This is a cooperative effort between the RDA and the Northwest Indiana Brownfield Coalition, according to Jillian A. Huber, RDA grants manager.
Proposals are due to Huber no later than 4 p.m. Sept. 19.
Monday is the deadline to submit questions regarding the RFQ. Those questions should be directed to Huber in writing, by fax or email. Her email address is jahuber@rda.in.gov.
Huber said written responses from the RDA to those questions will be provided no later than Sept. 17.
“The coalition is another example of the RDA’s trusted relationships with local communities, state agencies and federal agencies,” said Dave Wellman, RDA spokesman.
“As the recipient of the EPA grants, the RDA will work closely with the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, the cities of the Coalition, state agencies such as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the EPA,” according to Wellman
Decades of contamination will be removed from these sites and will “level the playing field for new economic development in Northwest Indiana,” he said, adding that this will lay the foundation for new jobs and businesses.
A number of completed RDA projects spurring that economic development were once brownfield sites, Wellman said. Those include the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk.