Kansas City, Mo., is receiving $5.75 million to help remediate a World War II-era warehouse complex, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe; U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo.; Kansas City Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McManus; and EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister gathered at the former Hardesty Federal Complex to hand off a novelty check representing the funds, according to an Aug. 31 EPA news release.
"Across the country, thousands of sites like the former Hardesty Federal Complex right here in Kansas City sit idle, too often jeopardizing the health and economic security of local communities," McCabe said in the news release. "Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties has the power to turn once blighted areas into economic engines right here in Missouri, providing opportunities for job growth, increasing tax revenues and protecting people’s health and the environment."
The gathering at the former Hardesty Federal Complex, also called the former Kansas City Quartermaster Depot and as the Kansas City Record Center, marked the formal handing over of the funds, the release reported. EPA announced in May Kansas City had been selected to receive its portion of the $254 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Brownfields and Revolving Loan Fund grants awarded to 265 selected communities nationwide to tackle polluted Brownfield sites.
"I proudly supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to ensure that critical federal investments were made right here in communities throughout Kansas City, and that's exactly what we are seeing happen today," Cleaver said in the news release. "I was thrilled to join EPA Deputy Administrator McCabe and Regional Administrator McCollister to highlight the funding for necessary work to address Kansas City's brownfields and revitalize communities."
Proposed plans for the former Hardesty Federal Complex include abatement of contaminants such as asbestos, lead-based paint and other hazards. The proposed work "is an important step" in redevelopment of the site for uses that include homes, in addition to retail and commercial space, the news release said.
"We are thrilled to have Deputy Administrator McCabe, Congressman Cleaver and the city of Kansas City, Mo., join our celebration of the Brownfields program," McCollister said in the news release. "We're excited for Kansas City to harness the potential of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build on past successes, clean up contaminated sites and spur reinvestment in local communities that need it most."
