Minnesota Brownfields

Minnesota Brownfield Redevelopment Awards

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Minnesota Brownfields is developing an inaugural award program to recognize exemplary brownfield redevelopment projects which have been completed statewide.
Winning projects will feature transformation of abandoned and underutilized sites into revitalized communities utilizing innovative solutions to significant environmental issues, in the categories of environmental, economic and social impact. The awards nomination process will open in June.

Click here to view Eligibility Criteria

Awards event details:

Thursday, November 15, 2012
4:30-7:30 p.m.
Union Depot, St. Paul

The awards event will feature pre-event networking, the awards program, with an appetizer and cocktail reception to follow. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Click here for information about sponsorship levels and benefits.

For more information, call 651-307-4371 or email Martha Faust.

Brainerd Brownfield Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:56:00 +0000

Economic Redevelopment of Underutilized Properties

Does your community have an abandoned building, old gas station or other potentially contaminated building that is impeding your communities’ future growth? This workshop will provide an overview of brownfield basics, how Brownfield revitalization can be a part of your community’s economic development strategy, and state and national resources available to your community.

Who should attend:
•    economic & community development professionals
•    government officials, community volunteers, and other community leaders
•    anyone interested in learning more about Brownfield resources

Location: Northland Arboretum, Brainerd, MN

Date: May 16, 9:50am - 3:30pm

Program Agenda

Cost: Free

To Register: Please contact Sheree Walsh at chsr@ksu.edu or 785-532-6519

This workshop is being offered by TAB (Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities), Kansas State University in collaboration with Minnesota Brownfields and Region Five Development Commission.

Questions? Call 651-307-4371

Brownfields Resource Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000

In partnership with MN-DEED and MPCA, Minnesota Brownfields presents an updated comprehensive funding guide for brownfield cleanup and redevelopment. Includes: Federal, State, Regional and County-level programs; eligibility requirements; and contact information. This is a critical resource for anyone considering buying, selling or redeveloping a brownfield site in Minnesota. Also a new fact sheet showing statewide project examples utilizing multiple funding sources.

2012 Brownfields Resource Guide

Brownfield Partners Fact Sheet

Managing Stormwater on Brownfield Sites

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:26:00 +0000

More than 100 professionals from the stormwater and brownfields communities met March 8th at Barr Engineering for Minnesota Brownfields most recent forum. The topic was key issues in stormwater management, the conflicts that occur when designing stormwater management systems for brownfields, and three innovative case studies: the Central Corridor light rail project; the Atlas Cement site in Duluth; and Beacon Bluff in Saint Paul.

View the presentations from this event:

Stormwater Basics for the Non-Stormwater Expert

Stormwater Issues on Brownfield Sites

Case Study: Central Corridor LRT

Case Study: Beacon Bluff, St. Paul

Case Study: Atlas Cement site, Duluth

Program Schedule
Registered Attendees
Presenter Bios

CLE: Course #165776 - 3.0 Standard Hours

Barr Engineering Company

Loucks Associates

Newsletter - May 2012

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:39:00 +0000

May, 2012 MN Brownfields Newsletter

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Newsletter - March 2012

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:19:00 +0000

March, 2012 MN Brownfields Newsletter

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Newsletter - April 2012

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:14:00 +0000

April, 2012 MN Brownfields Newsletter

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Newsletter - February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:43:00 +0000

February, 2012 MN Brownfields Newsletter

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Managing Stormwater

noreply@blogger.com (John M) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:36:00 +0000

Below are relevant resources for managing stormwater on brownfield sites:

EPA General Stormwater:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=6

EPA National Research Council Report on Urban Stormwater (recommendations on infiltration policy):
http://cfpub1.epa.gov/npdes/newsemails.cfm?news_release_id=158

MPCA MN Stormwater Steering Committee: Minnesota Stormwater Manual:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-types-and-programs/stormwater/stormwater-management/minnesota-s-stormwater-manual.html

Basics – Chapter 2
General – Chapters 3 & 4
Technical – Chapter 10
Specific Infiltration and fact sheet – Chapter 12

MPCA Minimal Impact Design Standards (ongoing work):
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-types-and-programs/stormwater/stormwater-minimal-impact-design-standards-mids.html

MPCA regulations:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-types-and-programs/stormwater/stormwater.html

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) General Permit: see Minimum Control Measure 5 – Post Construction Requirements
Construction Stormwater General Permit: see Part III.C (Infiltration under Part III.C.2)

TOD & Brownfields: Making the Connection

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:13:00 +0000

Minnesota Brownfields held a forum focused on brownfields within transit corridors. Representatives from Cleveland and Houston discussed their experience redeveloping brownfields along LRT/BRT lines; local presentations focused on Central and other transit corridors, current and new funding and other tools directed at contaminated land.

View the presentations:

Introduction - Marcus Martin, Metropolitan Council

Houston LRT - Jed Greenfield, City of Houston

Cleveland BRT - David Ebersole, City of Cleveland

CC Interport Web Portal - Jackie Dylla, Braun Intertec Corporation

Corridors of Opportunity - Mark Vanderscaaf, Metropolitan Council
CC Investment Framework - John Shardlow, Stantec

St Paul CC Assessment Grant - Josh Williams, City of St. Paul PED

DEED Transit Funding - Meredith Udoibok, Minnesota DEED

Met Council LCA TOD Fund - Marcus Martin, Metropolitan Council

Cleveland link: 11/29 NY Times article on Euclid Avenue-Health Line

Cleveland link: Health Line brochure

State of Brownfield Update & Roundtable

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Minnesota Brownfields held its 4th annual State of Brownfields Update on August 11 in Minneapolis. Patty Nauman of Metro Cities provided a summary of the 2011 MN legislative Session. Martha Faust gave an overview on federal legislation affecting redevelopment.

Small groups met to discuss issues across a number of topics:

Brownfields funding at the Legislature
Brownfield Reuse in Economically Distressed Areas
Closure of Sites with Vapor Intrusion Issues
Emerging Legal Issues & Redevelopment
New Financing Ideas; Stormwater Management on Brownfield Sites; Technical Issues (Innovative Investigation Techniques, Green Remediation, and Soil Cleanup Goals); Transit, TOD & Brownfields.

View the small group summary notes

CLE: 1.25 Standard Credits awarded (Course #157900)

Minnesota Brownfields Public Events Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Steve) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Job Opening: Entry and Mid-Level Geologists

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:57:00 +0000

5/4/12: Bay West has posted openings for Entry and Mid-Level Geologist positions at their St. Paul or Duluth offices. The full description and application instructions are available on Bay West's website. Application deadline for both positions is 6/15/12.

Job Posting - Entry Level Geologist

Job Posting - Mid Level Geologist

Benefits of Brownfield Redevelopment in Minnesota

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:37:00 +0000

Investments in Brownfield Redevelopment Fuel Economic Growth and Community Revitalization
A Report on the Impact of Past and Future Investments in Brownfields

The volatility that shook Minnesota’s economy in recent years demands solutions that will create a more stable and sustainable future for our state. Minnesota’s citizens, businesses, and government are working to regain economic footing, create more jobs, and revitalize Minnesota’s communities. One of the most dynamic tools we can use to accomplish those goals is the redevelopment of idled, contaminated commercial and industrial properties. Several thousand of these properties, called “brownfields,” sit stagnant in communities across the state and present a prime opportunity to bolster Minnesota’s economy and its communities while also improving environmental health.

Report and New Fact Sheets Available Now

In response to the situation outlined above, Minnesota Brownfields prepared this report, to:

analyze the results of past public investments in brownfield cleanup and redevelopment in Minnesota since 1995
quantify the economic, fiscal, environmental and social benefits from contaminated land reuse and redevelopment
analyze the consequences of idle brownfields
forecast future opportunity for brownfield reuse and redevelopment in Minnesota
recommend actions to maximize the public benefit from public investment in brownfields

Download the full report Benefits of Brownfield Redevelopment

Economic Fact Sheet on Brownfield Redevelopment

NEW-Environmental Fact Sheet

NEW-Community Fact Sheet

Newsletter - October, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:55:00 +0000

October, 2011 Minnesota Brownfields News

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Newsletter - September, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:33:00 +0000

September, 2011 Newsletter

Newsletter - August, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:39:00 +0000

August, 2011 Newsletter

Newsletter - July 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:22:00 +0000

July, 2011 Minnnesota Brownfields News

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Board

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Minnesota Brownfields mission is guided by its 8-member Board of Directors, representing an broad array of disciplines and backgrounds. Collectively, our Board has more than 110 years of experience with brownfield reuse. Their biographies:

Jon Carlson is Chief Executive Officer of Braun Intertec. As CEO, Jon provides leadership and direction to the Braun Intertec strategic management team, which is responsible for strategic business planning and overall business leadership. His wide breadth of experience, combined with his practical know-how, resonates throughout the way he serves his clients and delivers value to many major projects. Jon received his B.S. in Geology, B.S. in Geophysics, and M.S. in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota. He is a registered professional geologist and a certified hazardous materials manager.

Deborah DeLuca is the Board Chair and a founding board member of Minnesota Brownfields and the Principal of DeLuca Strategies, providing public, private and non-profit sector clients strategic advice on redevelopment and environmental policy. Her service areas include grant writing, development and implementation of funding strategies, grant administration, and project management. She has obtained over $22 million in state, local and federal funding for her clients. Deb has over 20 years of public and private sector experience with the cleanup and reuse of contaminated properties.

Ken Haberman is the President of Landmark Environmental, LLC, a private environmental consulting firm specializing in the investigation and cleanup of brownfields. Ken worked for Barr Engineering Company between 1996 and 2000, where he was a Vice-President and previously was employed at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency from 1981 to 1996, where his last positions were a Site Response Supervisor in first the Superfund Program and then the Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup Program. Ken holds a Masters in Environmental Studies from Bemidji State University and a Bachelors of Science from the University of Minnesota. He completed a Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in 1999/2000.

Steve Heurung is an Environmental Analyst in the Environmental, Energy and Land Use group at the law firm of Stoel Rives. He is based in the firms’ Minneapolis office and assists clients with brownfield redevelopment and on other environmental issues such as transactional due diligence, permitting and compliance. He has extensive experience with local and state brownfields funding, obtaining over $35 million in brownfields investigation, cleanup, and redevelopment grants supporting Minnesota municipalities and private entities with their brownfields redevelopment efforts. Steve also assists with the management of environmental investigation and cleanup projects and helps secure environmental liability protections for property acquisition, redevelopment, and use.

Paul Hyde is a partner and co-founder of Real Estate Recycling. Real Estate Recycling is active in the development of contaminated property in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Paul focuses on the Minneapolis market and has developed over 1.3 million square feet of new industrial buildings to date. Paul is also a partner in RER Management, a commercial property management business that now manages over 1 million square feet of commercial buildings in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 2011 Hyde co-founded RER Landscaping, a sustainable landscape construction and maintenance company focused on green commercial landscape practices. Paul received his JD from Northeastern University School of Law and a LLM from Boston University School of Law.

Sara Peterson is an environmental attorney and owner of Parkway Law, LLC. She represents and counsels clients dealing with issues such as: environmental aspects of corporate, real estate and commercial transactions; environmental compliance and permitting; environmental enforcement matters; legacy environmental liabilities, and sustainability and environmental reporting matters. Sara began her career with Dorsey & Whitney’s environmental and regulatory practice group in 2000 and was elected a partner in 2007. In 2010, to complement her legal practice, Sara became a part-time adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, creating the curriculum for and co-teaching their new Environmental Capstone Course. Starting in January 2011, she also began teaching in the law school’s recently-established Sustainability Law Clinic.

Kristina Smitten is the Principal of Smitten Group serving private and public clients in redevelopment and sustainability planning and policy. She assists clients with community revitalization in the areas of planning and zoning, brownfield cleanup, sustainability, and grant-writing. Kristina was recently appointed to the Metropolitan Council’s Land Use Advisory Committee. Previously Kristina worked at the Metropolitan Council as a Planner in Community Development, and later, a Grant Coordinator in Livable Communities. Prior to her work at the Metropolitan Council, Kristina worked for the Department of Natural Resources managing a statewide water program. She received her degrees in Biology and Environmental Science from St. Cloud State University.

Meredith Udoibok is the Director of the Office of Brownfields and Redevelopment at the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Meredith has been working in the area of brownfield redevelopment for the past 18 years. Meredith helped establish the State of Minnesota’s Contamination Cleanup Grant Program, the Redevelopment Grant Program, and has been involved with the JOBZ program (tax free zones). She is also responsible for the administration of the Transit Improvement Area Loan Program, as well as an U.S. EPA-funded Revolving Loan Fund Program. In addition, Meredith has experience in working with many of the programs within the Business and Community Development Division when she served as Assistance Director of the Division. She has an extensive background in policy development and legislative issues as a former staff of the Minnesota Senate and congressional office.

August 2011 Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:10:00 +0000

August, 2011 Minnnesota Brownfields News

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Newsletter - November, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (MFaust) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:08:00 +0000

November, 2011 Minnesota Brownfields Newsletter

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Executive Director Named

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:31:00 +0000

The Board of Minnesota Brownfields has named Martha Faust as its first Executive Director effective July 1st. Since 2008, Martha has worked as the organization's Program Administrator. Previously, Martha worked as a Planner for the City of St. Paul Dept. of Planning & Economic Development.

Martha holds a Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and a BA in Economics and French from the University of St. Thomas. Martha can be reached at (651) 307-4371 or via email.

Central Corridor Brownfield Assessment Funds Available

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:09:00 +0000

On May 13, the City of St. Paul announced that up to $1 million in technical assistance funds are now available for investigation of possible contamination and/or hazardous materials in structures, soil or groundwater along the Central Corridor. Funds are available through a grant from the USEPA. (Photo: Mayor Coleman and Sen. Amy Klobuchar examine soil samples from a brownfield site on University Avenue).

More details are available at: http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=4562

Newsletter - June 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Sun, 01 May 2011 21:19:00 +0000

June, 2011 Minnnesota Brownfields News

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2010 Annual Report

noreply@blogger.com (Martha Faust) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:25:00 +0000

The Board members of Minnesota Brownfields are proud to provide a summary of our mission-based activities and events through our second Annual Report (4 pages, 563 KB) for 2010.

Our thanks to our many members, sponsors and friends for the support they have provided in the past year to enable Minnesota Brownfields to carry out its work.