May 12, 2014.....In 2012, a coalition consisting of the City of Noblesville along with the Towns of Sheridan and Arcadia partnered with Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc. (SME) to apply for a $400,000 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfield Redevelopment Assessment grant.  The grant was approved and the coalition and SME are now in the second year of implementation.  The purpose of this grant funding has been and is to provide for assessments of brownfield areas.  The EPA defines “brownfield” as real property—the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.  Knowledge of any such environmental issues helps facilitate future redevelopment or reuse of an affected area.  

            Under SME's management, the following are redevelopment projects that have taken place in the coalition communities in the past two years thanks to the funding from the grant:

  •        Assessment of the former Noblesville Foundry building
  •        Two new proposed housing projects with the Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development (HAND) in Noblesville
  •        Assessment of properties at the future West Gateway Park in Noblesville
  •        Assessment of property to expand Biddle Park in Sheridan
  •        Assessment of property for the Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville

              The Town of Cicero recently joined the coalition of Noblesville, Sheridan, and Arcadia, and a brownfield area within Cicero town limits is currently being assessed.

            The success of the assessment conducted on the former Noblesville Foundry building is an excellent example of the ultimate goal for brownfield redevelopment across the country.  According to ID Castings, the new owner of the Foundry property, in addition to how well Noblesville's Economic Development team and SME worked with them to meet their objectives, one of the reasons they chose the Noblesville Foundry property was the availability of brownfield funding to assist them in evaluating the environmental conditions at the site.  ID Castings has now committed to invest more than $20 million in upgrades at the facility as well as retain more than 25 jobs and create future jobs in Noblesville. 

            "As an organization, our leadership and team members are committed to ecological and environmentally friendly practices in all endeavors.  We are so pleased with and encouraged by the support and cooperation of our local governmental agencies,” said John Kelley, Plant Engineer at ID Castings.  “Mayor John Ditslear and the City of Noblesville serve as wonderful partners in our journey to build a world-class foundry on our community's near southside.”  Mayor Ditslear added, “The importance of this brownfield grant funding in helping to further advance redevelopment efforts in Noblesville, Sheridan, Arcadia, and Cicero cannot be stressed enough.  Cooperation between our municipalities, combined with SME's experience and guidance, is proving to be a very effective process for our communities.”