Okaloosa County BOCC — January 7, 2014 — Action Item Printout

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: January 7, 2014 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Elliot Kampert SUBJECT: Letter of Support for Regional Planning Council's Brownfield Grant Proposal DEPARTMENT: Growth Management BCC DISTRICT: All STATEMENT OF ISSUE: The West Florida Regional Planning Council (WFRPC) is seeking letters of support for its application to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Brownfields Assessment Grant Program that would make funds available for the cities and counties in the WFRPC's area of responsibility (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Holmes and Washington Counties). BACKGROUND: The EPA's Brownfields Program provides funds to empower states, communities, tribes, and nonprofits to provide funding to develop inventories of brownfields; to characterize, assess, and prioritize sites; and to conduct planning (including clean up planning) and community involvement related to brownfield sites. A brownfield site is defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, controlled substances, petroleum or petroleum products, or is mine-scarred land. For community-wide proposals, applicants may request up to $200,000 from the hazardous substances funding for sites with potential contamination of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants and up to $200,000 from the petroleum funding for sites with potential petroleum contamination. The WFRPC plans to submit a combined application for the maximum amount of both the hazardous and petroleum funding. The funding period runs from October 1, 2014 through September 31, 2017. The grant would enable the WFRPC to conduct brownfield assessment projects in the cities and counties in the WFRPC area of responsibility (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Holmes and Washington Counties). OPTIONS: Approve or not approve sending the letter. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends that the Board of County Commissioners approve, and authorize the Chairman to sign, the attached letter for transmittal to the US Environmental Protection Agency. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator