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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS -- BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />2023 STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: October 23, 2023 <br />TOPIC: Brownfield Grant Opportunities <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Direct Staff <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Mark R. Cook <br />RECONLMENDATION: <br />Direct staff. <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br />• The Conference of Governments recently hosted a consultant -led presentation <br />regarding Brownfield cleanups. <br />• There are numerous funding opportunities currently at the state and federal levels <br />of government. <br />• Cleaning up septage ponds and coal mine tailings is a desire supporting urban <br />growth areas of Cle Elum and Roslyn. <br />• Given development potential in the UGA areas of Upper County, should Public <br />Works/Community Development Services lead grant efforts? <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The urban growth areas of Cle Elum and Roslyn contain contaminated brownfield areas <br />that are likely eligible for grant funding supporting cleanup and redevelopment. <br />Numerous state and federal grant opportunities are now available supporting brownfield <br />cleanup (EXHIBIT 1). The Conference of Governments recently hosted a cleanup <br />presentation from a brownfield redevelopment consultant. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Given recent discussions involving regional planning, is a county led brownfield cleanup <br />effort the best way to begin integrating multi jurisdictional planning efforts? Recent <br />attempts to begin Upper County fire evacuation route planning have not resulted in an <br />action plan. The relatively small jurisdictions of Upper County do not appear to have <br />sufficient staffing capacity to take on a brownfield cleanup effort at this time. <br />The Conference of Governments (COG) has discussed regional planning benefits for the <br />past year. Finding a project that galvanizes the combined resource approach resulting in <br />measurable benefit for numerous COG members would seem to be a priority towards <br />establishing a regional planning model. If brownfield cleanup is not that effort, what is <br />the desired community led planning outcome that advances regional planning efforts? <br />Page 1 of 3 <br />Public Works "V►'ork Session Staff Report", 2023 <br />