FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 15, 2024
Contact: Jodie Thistle, DNR Brownfields, Outreach & Policy Section Manager
[email protected] or 608-259-6557

DNR Awards Brownfield Grant To Milwaukee County

Funds Will Support The Assessment Of Contamination

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the DNR awarded brownfield assessment services to Milwaukee County to assist with the investigation of environmental contamination at the site of a former fuel station on 27th Street in Franklin, Wisconsin.

The award is from the DNR's Wisconsin Assessment Monies program, which provides contractor services for the environmental assessment of eligible brownfield sites. A brownfield is a property where real or potential contamination complicates expansion, redevelopment or reuse. Brownfields vary in size, location, age and past use.

The award will support investigation and sampling at the 0.67-acre property to determine the extent and degree of soil and groundwater contamination. Milwaukee County took ownership of the property in 2017 through foreclosure from tax delinquency. The now-vacant property was used in the 1960s and 1970s as a fuel station and truck stop. Prior environmental assessment activities found contamination at the site. With this award, the county can take steps toward the development of an action plan for the site to encourage redevelopment.  

"Through this award, Milwaukee County will be able to provide potential developers with the information needed to bring the site back to productive use,” said Jodie Thistle, DNR Brownfields, Outreach and Policy section manager. “The DNR supports the county’s efforts to encourage the reuse of this site that has been vacant for decades.”

Since 2009, the DNR's Wisconsin Assessment Monies program has provided nearly $3.3 million to 70 communities, partnering to help clean up and redevelop often run-down or underused properties that detract from a community's potential. Because no local financial match is required, these grants present an attractive opportunity for communities to learn about environmental conditions. Applications for assistance may be submitted to the DNR at any time.

The DNR offers a wide range of financial and liability tools to help local governments, businesses, lenders and others clean up and redevelop brownfields in Wisconsin. These include Ready for Reuse financial awards, which may be used for environmental cleanup. DNR staff around the state are available to meet with community leaders, bankers, developers and individuals to discuss brownfield projects through Green Team meetings.

More information about the DNR’s brownfield cleanup programs and services is available on the DNR’s Brownfields website.