The City of Oskaloosa will host an open house on Tuesday, June 23, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the conference room (3rd floor) of the Oskaloosa Public Library located at 301 South Market Street. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the community of the City’s brownfields grant project. Citizens will be given an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback via a comment form following a short presentation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the City of Oskaloosa two Brownfields Assessment Grants totaling $400,000, which allows the City to inventory, characterize, assess, and plan the revitalization and reuse of underutilized properties within the community. Brownfields are
real property; the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

City staff and its environmental consultant, HR Green, Inc., will cover the following topics:

• Definition of a brownfields site and the purpose of the brownfields program;

• Importance and benefits of redeveloping brownfield sites;

• Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) processes;

• Benefits of participating in the brownfields program; and

• Answers to several frequently asked questions.

The City of Oskaloosa invites all interested residents to attend the meeting. City staff will consider the information received as part of the open house. Please contact City of Oskaloosa Public Works Director Akhilesh Pal at (641)673-7472 or akhilesh.pal@oskaloosaiowa.org or contact
HR Green Project Director Scott Mattes at (515)657-5277 or smattes@hrgreen.com for more information.