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In 2004, Mason County was awarded a USEPA brownfield assessment grant and the City of Ludington was awarded a MDEQ community-wide brownfield site assessment grant. The City and County have combined efforts and resources in a cooperative arrangement to leverage both state and federal grant funds to position property for redevelopment. As part of this collaborative effort, the City and County issued one Request for Qualifications and Proposals and selected Otwell Mawby, P.C. (Otwell Mawby) in a highly competitive process over 15 other environmental consulting firms.
From public forums and other input provided by community members, over 120 sites were identified. Otwell Mawby prepared a process for the Mason County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to evaluate the sites based on owner and buyer interest, redevelopment potential, spin-off redevelopment opportunities, downtown development, public open space creation, perceived level of contamination, exposure risk and other factors. Key sites have been prioritized, a total of 52 sites have been approved by the City Council and County Board, with 50 sites approved by the EPA and MDEQ. Access agreements have been negotiated with property owners of 23 properties: 23 Phase I ESAs, seven Phase II ESAs and two BEAs have been completed to date. The project target was to inventory 50 sites, conduct, Phase I ESAs on 40 sites, Phase II ESAs for 10 – 15 sites, and BEAs for about 5 - 8 sites.
As part of the project, Otwell Mawby worked with InfoGeographics, a Traverse City-based GIS consulting firm that does work nationwide, to develop a GIS-based map and inventory that intelligently identified site data with a map location and will provide for subsequent updates of information, such as the Phase I and Phase II ESA reports, BEAs, site pictures, and detailed location and site maps to be accessible through the website.
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