MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the award of a grant to the city of Cuba City in Grant County to support the cleanup of contamination at a property formerly used as an assisted living facility.
The award is through the DNR’s Ready for Reuse loan and grant program, which provides financial assistance to eligible entities to clean up environmental contamination at brownfield properties.
A brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse is complicated by real or potential contamination. Brownfields vary in size, location, age and past use.
The property, located at 808 South Washington Street in Cuba City, was acquired by the city in 2024. The site once housed tanks that contained petroleum products, leading to soil contamination at the property.
The award provides up to $131,545 in grant funds to Cuba City to remove and dispose of contaminated soil located at the property. Once the cleanup is complete, redevelopment of the property will create new housing options near the downtown business district. Additional commercial development is expected and will increase opportunities and services for residents.
“The future potential of this property is limitless, and the city is excited for its reuse,” said Ron Brisbois, Executive Director of the Grant County Economic Development Corporation. “Cuba City looks forward to fostering housing and commercial development on this strategic location.”
The funding for the DNR’s Ready for Reuse loan and grant program is through a Revolving Loan Fund grant from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Award terms from the DNR are flexible and require a 22 percent match from the borrower.
The DNR has a wide range of financial and liability tools available to help local governments, businesses, lenders and others clean up and redevelop brownfields in Wisconsin, including awards to investigate and assess contamination on brownfield properties through the Wisconsin Assessment Monies program.
DNR staff around the state are available to meet with community leaders, bankers, developers and private individuals to discuss brownfield projects through Green Team meetings.
Interested in learning how cleaning up brownfields can help your community? The DNR’s series of on-demand Brownfields Fundamentals webinars cover planning, cleanup, liability and other topics as part of a well-rounded crash course in Wisconsin brownfield redevelopment.
More information about the DNR’s brownfield cleanup programs and services is available on the Brownfields webpage.
