HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A $1.5 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to address environmental concerns in Athens, Fort Payne, and Gurley. This Federal Brownfield Assessment Grant will help Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments (TARCOG) with these cities.
Lee Terry, Economic Development and Planning Director, highlighted that the grant will fund various activities over the next four years, including inventorying, conducting environmental assessments, developing cleanup and revitalization plans, and engaging communities for input on redevelopment potential.
The assessment activities will focus on specific corridors in each community: Easy Street in Athens, Gault Avenue in Fort Payne, and Walker Street in Gurley.
The EPA's Brownfields Program aims to provide collaboration among states, communities, and stakeholders to prevent, assess, clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites, which are properties that may have complications due to hazardous substances.
TARCOG has been selected to lead a $1.5 million Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant with members from Athens, Fort Payne, and the Singing River Trail. Since 1968, TARCOG has been working to identify and tackle common regional issues, opportunities, and challenges across northeast Alabama, including DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, and Marshall counties.
