History: The county’s Brownfields Gap Financing Program provides financial assistance for unfunded and/or unanticipated environmental-related costs for county- or municipal partner-led projects. The county or a municipality formally requests assistance by completing an application form.

In June 2019, county staff were contacted by the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board who informed staff that unanticipated contaminated soil was identified at the planned location of a Survivors Memorial in Boom Island Park. The Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board subsequently submitted an application for $30,000 in cleanup costs.

The county’s Brownfields Gap Financing Program was created in 2006 when the county executed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) governing the use of loan repayments that are generated through the use of the county’s Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund grant from the EPA. The MOA established that portions of the revolved loan repayments would be used to establish a Brownfields Gap Financing Program.

Current Request: This request is for the County Administrator to negotiate Agreement PR00001257 with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board to fund soil cleanup at the Survivors Memorial in Boom Island Park, during the period of July 30, 2019 through July 30, 2020, using funds from the county’s Brownfields Gap Financing Program, with the total amount not to exceed $30,000.

Environment and Energy staff reviewed the application and determined that the project was eligible for funding and recommend awarding a grant of $30,000, which is equal to the request.

Impacts/Outcomes: Cleaning up contamination reduces the risk to human health and the environment. By approving the request to approve an agreement with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, the county will provide assistance for unanticipated cleanup costs associated with the construction of a Survivors Memorial on Boom Island Park.