Overton County will explore grant opportunities to help clean up several properties that post hazards to the community.
County Executive Steven Barlow said the Brownfields Program provides a funding mechanism to help governments identify and clean up properties.
“It’s older buildings that might have stage one, stage two asbestos in it, lead paint, things of that nature,” Barlow said. “That helps identify and helps get rid of that stuff. So, that’s what we’re looking at on that.”
Barlow said the identification portion of the grant is $20,000. That money will be used to find potential properties. Barlow said he already has some in mind.
“Like community centers and things like that, things that could be uplifted,” Barlow said. “Old school house that we have in town, we’re going to look at that. Just different places in the communities that we could see that might use the help on that.”
“We would like to look at the Rickman Community Center, too, because it is full of black mold. It’s been shut down,” Barlow said. “We would like to identify that and help with that all we can. But just different places throughout the community that needs that assistance.”
Barlow said next two phases of the grant totals $100,000. Those funds will be to develop a revitalization plan for each identified property.
