CRAB ORCHARD CITY PARK
USEPA Brownfields Assessment & Cleanup Grants
Turning Trash into Treasures: A Former Scrap Yard Becomes a Community Asset
PROJECT BACKGROUND:
The Lincoln Scrap Yard property operated as an automotive scrap yard from the early 1980’s until 2005. In 2006 the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection utilized its Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) funds to conduct Phase I and II environmental assessments. The results indicated that it would be possible to close the site and manage contamination with a Site Management Plan. In 2008, the City purchased the property in order to apply for a USEPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant and redevelop it into a new park. The City was awarded a $200,000 Cleanup Grant in 2010 and subsequently selected AMEC Earth & Environmental to implement the cleanup plan. It formally opened as a park in the summer of 2012.
OUTCOME:
Funded by the USEPA Brownfield Program and a Kentucky Pride Community Enrichment Grant, cleanup was completed in July of 2012. This included demolishing an aging and unsafe building, capping contaminated soil across the entire site, and turning a dangerous property into a beautiful new City park that now serves as a focal point for the entire county. The park includes a regulation size basketball court, playgrounds, Amish trading market, picnic areas, paved walking trails, a setting for music festivals, and the creation of 3 acres of new open green space.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• The only municipal park in the county.
• Amish community marketplace.
• Demolished unsafe building on Main Street.
• Capped site to mitigate exposure risk to the community.
ADDRESS: 213 & 215 Main Street 40419
PROPERTY SIZE: 3.0 acres
FORMER USE: Automotive Scrap Yard
CURRENT USE: Public park with basketball court, playground, picnic area, Amish community market, and paved walking trails.
Project Partners:
Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection $30,000 KY Pride Grant
USEPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
The City of Crab Orchard received $200,000 in EPA Brownfields Cleanup grants.