May 29, 2008
Development Authority grants city $200,000 to clean up area By ERIN MADISON Tribune Staff Writer
The Great Falls Development Authority board of directors voted Wednesday to give the city of Great Falls a $200,000 grant to help clean up land in the West Bank Urban Renewal District, a designated Brownfield area.
The city plans to extend 4th Street Northwest to be a second access point to the new federal building. The grant will help them clean up the land under that extension, said GFDA President Brett Doney.
The board discussed at length whether to grant the money to the city, or save it to use as loans to other entities.
Designated Brownfield lands are environmentally contaminated areas that have federal funds available for their cleanup. The Development Authority holds a Brownfield Loan Fund that contains $918,000. It received the money more than three years ago and hasn't given out any of it.
The GFDA has the option to dole out the money in the form of loans, or as much as $400,000 can be given out in grants no larger than $200,000.
When the city originally looked into receiving Brownfield money, it was told it would be more likely to get it if a third party applied for it, said County Commissioner Joe Briggs, who is a member of the Development Authority board. For that reason, the GFDA applied for it.
The GFDA has three other applicants looking at the Brownfield money, said Sheldon Bartel, senior vice president of the Development Authority. In those cases, the money would have been awarded in the form of a loan, which would have added some revenue flow to the GFDA, which is struggling financially.
The county also has asked the congressional delegation for a federal earmark to clean up the site because the contamination is more extensive than initially believed.
Board members discussed the option of holding onto the money and using it for loans, but voted unanimously to award the grant to the city.
Several board members commented that while the money can be used for other projects, its original intention was to clean up the West Bank.
In other business, the board was told that the Development Authority is about $750,000 shy of its fundraising goal of $3 million.
The board also voted to form a working group to look at water rights.
The group will work with the city to look at the potential to secure more water rights, Doney said. Access to raw water is a draw to many businesses to move to Great Falls. It would be beneficial to have a group of business leaders who are very well versed in water-rights issues.