A very positive outcome (40 jobs) that started with a Superfund removal
action at this site:
Brownfields Partnership Celebration, Former Tannery Removal Site, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin
On October 28, 1997, Rey Rivera, On-Scene Coordinator (OSC); Joe Dufficy,
Early Actions Coordinator; and Jim Vanderkloot, Brown-fields Coordinator,
attended a press conference and Brownfields Partnership Celebration at the
Former Tannery site, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The City of Milwaukee and the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) invited City, State, and
Federal officials to join with officials from the Butters-Fetting Co., Inc.,
a major mechanical contractor, to celebrate the firm?s purchase and
transformation of the Former Tannery site, a former Brownfield property, into
a modern sheet metal fabrication plant with 40 employees. As part of the
program, OSC Rivera spoke on behalf of the U.S. EPA Superfund Division and
received the Brownfields Partnership Award given to U.S. EPA Region 5 for
its participation in this project.
The Former Tannery site was vacant since the 1980's until it became one of
the original sites chosen for the WDNR?s Brownfield Environmental Assessment
Program in 1996. This program combines removal and early assessment actions
at sites identified as Brownfield properties with the goal of returning the
properties to productive use. During the summer of 1996, OSC Rivera conducted
an emergency removal action at the site that included decontamination of the
building, and excavation and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyl-
contaminated soil.
This is a success story that involved many agencies and organizations working
together to turn an abandoned and contaminated site into a center of commerce
and opportunity for the surrounding neighborhoods.
Contact: Rey Rivera (312-886-1450)