Business View Civil and Municipal l December 2022

39 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 completed by the summer of 2023. This will allow families to enjoy an outdoor setting on the water in a serene, safe location. Funding is also in place to add a boathouse as part of this restoration in the center of town. Cleveland Metroparks purchased 45 acres of land around Wargo Farms to support the community’s outdoor recreation areas. Not only does this include baseball and softball fields but other outdoor conveniences and a future walkable nature trail. Says Burke: “we have many projects in place that we’re excited about.” BROWNFIELD REMEDIATION GRANTS EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES The Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes, and others to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. Sites in Garfield Heights include a landfill at the Highland Park development, a former shopping center that previously housed multiple big-box retailers, and a property owned by Kurtz Brothers, a landscaping supply and delivery company. The Highland Park site includes a $10 million grant with oversight and support provided by Cuyahoga County, $2.5 million for the site formerly owned by defunct manufacturer General Chemical and another possible funding opportunity for remediation of a landfill with the help of owners Voyus Excavating. The goal would be to build a road through some of these areas to help expand the city’s transportation corridor. Other cleanup sites might be turned into parks or green scapes, or even other industrial or commercial development sites. “Getting the funding for site cleanup is key because it allows us to create [an effective way to use] these sites to further the city’s growth,” Burke says. “It’s a great program for cities like ours and GARF I ELD HE IGHTS , OHIO