(AGENPARL) – gio 25 maggio 2023 Issued: May 25, 2023 (2:08pm EDT)
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EPA awards $500K to clean up and revitalize properties in Kalispell, Columbia
Falls and Whitefish, Montana
Montana West Economic Development Foundation to use Brownfields grant to
address contamination and develop affordable housing across Flathead Valley?
Contacts: 
Montana West Economic Development Foundation:?Christy Cummings Dawson,
Kalispell, Mont. (May 25, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) today announced the Montana West Economic Development Foundation will
receive a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant to develop cleanup and reuse
plans, complete environmental site assessments and conduct community
engagement activities. 
The EPA grant will focus on nearly two dozen properties in Flathead
County. Priority sites include a 22-acre property used as an auto recycling
and salvage yard, a dilapidated and vacant former Kmart building, a former
elementary school and a former wood treatment and wood post manufacturing
business. 
“Montana West?Economic Development has put together a comprehensive
strategy to assess, clean up and restore contaminated properties throughout
Flathead County,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker. “We look
forward to seeing these projects bring new community assets and business
opportunities to the residents of Columbia Falls, Evergreen, Kalispell and
Whitefish.”? 
“As a third-generation farmer, I understand the challenges rural America is
facing, including the lasting impacts of toxic waste,” said U.S. Senator
Jon Tester. “Cleaning up and revitalizing Montana’s remaining Brownfield
sites breathes new life into our communities by creating some real
opportunities for economic development. That’s why I am proud to have
secured this funding in my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for cleanup projects
across Big Sky Country to spur economic growth and improve the quality of life
for folks from Glendive to Kalispell.” 
EPA’s award to Montana West Economic Development is among six grants
announced today totaling more than $5.7 million for cleanup and revitalization
projects in communities across Montana.?These funds are part of President
Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup
of brownfield sites while advancing environmental justice through the
Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant
programs. Thanks to the historic boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,
this funding is the largest ever awarded by the EPA’s Brownfields MARC Grant
programs.? 
“The Flathead Valley has seen tremendous growth in recent years and these
EPA Brownfields Assessment funds will help to facilitate redevelopment of
blighted and underused areas, taking advantage of existing Infrastructure and
preserving open space,” said Christy Cummings Dawson, President/CEO of
Montana West Economic Development. “This is a great tool for incentivizing
redevelopment by taking some of the uncertainty and risk out of the process.
We want to build upon the work of the Flathead County Economic Development
Authority, the City of Kalispell and others that have done brownfields work
locally to foster targeted redevelopment throughout Flathead County.”? 
Montana West Economic Development will use the EPA funds for projects at
several properties as potential candidates for assessment, cleanup and
redevelopment, including Wisher's Wrecking Yard in Kalispell, the Evergreen
Kmart, Larry's Post & Pole, the Glacier Gateway School Buildings in Columbia
Falls and the Soroptimist Building in Whitefish. Reuse opportunities for these
sites include transformation into affordable housing, which will substantially
increase the inventory of apartments and homes for low- and moderate-income
residents. These efforts will increase downtown populations and allow workers
to live close to new businesses and restaurants.?? 
Wisher’s Wrecking Yard in the south end of Kalispell is a 22.4-acre property
currently used as an auto recycling and salvage yard.? The property is
surrounded by residential subdivisions and is an ideal location for new
housing development following the evaluation of contamination
concerns.??? 
The Evergreen Kmart is located on Highway 2 on the south end of Evergreen
within the 100-year floodplain. The 8.5-acre property is covered in asphalt
and includes a large 92,000 square-foot building with hazardous building
materials that are delaying demolition and redevelopment. Once assessed and
cleaned up, the site is a prime candidate for more than 40 multi-bedroom
rental units for low-income families.? 
The Glacier Gateway School Buildings in Columbia Falls are vacant former
elementary and junior high school buildings with potential reuse as more than
50 new senior housing units and community recreation areas.?? 
The Soroptimist Building in downtown Whitefish is operating as a thrift store
and has been slated for renovation into affordable housing units. Cleanup
planning and assessment of the building is needed prior to redevelopment.? 
Larry’s Post and Pole in Columbia Falls is a 6.7-acre wood treatment and
post manufacturing business. Further investigation of the property, including
the presence of wood preservatives, pentachlorophenol and penetrating oil and
diesel, is needed prior to sale and redevelopment as affordable
housing.?? 
The Whitefish Thrift Haus plans to relocate to another location while creating
multi-family housing units in the former Soroptimist building for low- to
moderate-income families.?? 
Other Brownfields grants announced in Montana today include:? 
Sweetgrass Development Corporation, north-central Montana: $1 million?? 
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc: $500,000 
Big Sky Economic Development: Billings, $1 million? 
Great Northern Development Corporation: Glendive, $2,250,000? 
Beartooth Resource Conservation and Development, Stillwater, Carbon and Big
Horn Counties and the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Indian Reservations:
$460,000 
Background? 
Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from President Biden’s Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping more communities
than ever begin to address the economic, social and environmental challenges
caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity and environmental
revitalization in historically overburdened communities.  
EPA’s Brownfields Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40
Initiative to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal
investments to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 84% of the MARC
program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas
that include historically underserved communities. 
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37
billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties
and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in
addressing brownfield sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup
and redevelopment. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants
used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and
successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of grant funds
spent and $19.78 for every dollar. 
More on Brownfields Grants.?? 
More on EPA’s Brownfields Program.? 
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