PUEBLO, Colo. — The City of Pueblo was one of six cities in Colorado selected as a recipient of the Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Program to clean up contaminated properties and abandoned properties.
Pueblo will be receiving a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency that will be used to clean up contaminated buildings in the "Y zone." That consists of the downtown, Eastside, and Bessemer neighborhoods.
Funds will also be used to clean up the El Centro Del Quinto Sol Community Center. The center, which began as the Fountain School, has inorganic contaminants, according to the EPA.
More funds will be used at these other priority sites:
- Steelworks Museum
- Black Hills 5 & 6 Power Plant
- 11 Small Downtown Parcels
Funding for this grant program comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021, which distributed $1.5 billion to the program. According to the EPA, this has allowed for the Brownfields Program to increase its investments by almost 400%.
Greeley, Kersey, Lakewood, Monte Vista and Northglenn were the five other cities awarded funding.