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Brownfields Success Stories
Old Eyesore Becomes New Home for Business
Formerly used as a tannery warehouse, a 1.3-acre vacant lot in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin held a collection of 55-gallon drums of unknown contents and was covered with illegally dumped garbage. Looking for an urban location to expand its local operations, the Butters Fetting manufacturing company announced in October 1997 that it would purchase the property from the city for $10,000 and transform the existing warehouse into a new factory. Through the coordinated efforts of a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Pilot, the City of Milwaukee, and EPA Region 5, environmental conditions at the site were assessed. The site's soil was found to be contaminated with high concentrations of lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). EPA financed a $400,000 emergency removal action, while the Pilot conducted additional assessments. Once the assessments and cleanup were complete, the Pilot began drawing up redevelopment plans and talking with potential buyers. Butters Fetting eventually spent an estimated $400,000 to improve the property, and has since moved its entire manufacturing operation, with its 11 employees, to the former tannery. For more information on the Wisconsin DNR Pilot, run through the Brownfields Environmental Assessment Program, contact Robert Amerson at (608) 266-1618.