Wyandotte County selected to negotiate $3.7 million EPA brownfields cleanup grant

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin negotiations for a cooperative agreement to fund a brownfields cleanup project, Mayor Crystal E. Watson announced at the commission meeting Wednesday.

Mayor Watson read a letter from the EPA’s office of brownfields and land revitalization notifying the government that it was chosen for one of the nation’s larger cleanup awards, described in the letter as roughly $3.7 million. The letter thanked the Unified Government staff for a strong application and said EPA officials look forward to working with the jurisdiction, which will enter negotiation to finalize the cooperative agreement.

“This selection recognizes the tremendous commitment of time and energy that went into the application,” the letter stated, as read by Mayor Watson. The mayor congratulated the staff involved in preparing the grant application.

The announcement does not finalize funding; the EPA selection starts a negotiation process for a cooperative agreement. Details about the specific sites to be addressed, the grant’s final amount, project scope, and implementation timeline were not specified in the notice read to commissioners.

The award was presented as a noteworthy federal recognition of the Unified Government’s brownfields work; Mayor Watson said agency staff will coordinate next steps with EPA and report back to the commission.

Next steps: commission staff will enter negotiations with EPA and later bring recommended agreements and any implementation plans back to the commission for formal approval.