There were a lot of lessons learned up to this point. These are just a few.
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Mark Rivers, representing the Middleford Commons project addressed the council and provided an update.
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The first phase of the current grant work has been completed. Check the Interactive Map for more details.
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Downtown Medford has served many roles, from a stop on the Oregon & California railroad, to a Timber and Agricultural town, to the Automotive Center of Southern Oregon, to a regional shopping, government, and entertainment hub.
Downtown Medford's current reniassance is continuing with The Commons of Downtown Medford, a public/private partnership between Medford Urban Renewal Agency, the City of Medford, and Lithia Motors.
The Commons project is going to include new multi-block downtown city parks, public infrastructure, additional downtown parking, residential retail and commercial buildings, as well as corporate headquarters.
However, The Commons, like all downtown revitalization, is complicated with the presence of Brownfields.
In the area planned for The Commons, the contamination comes from the historic presence of petroleum businesses in the downtown area.
There are steel tanks left underground from closed gas stations, and possible soil contamination from poor historic disposal and cleanup practices.
Cleanup of a Brownfield can be a considerable undertaking, as often the costs associated with cleaning the land are higher than the value of the land itself.
Nationwide, Brownfields are a problem of concern, with over 450,000 estimated Brownfields across the United States.
Medford Urban Renewal Agency has received EPA grants to fund Environmental Site Assessments (ESA) of the Commons land. These Assessments are carried out in two Phases.
Phase I ESA consists of researching the area in question to discover which properties have a history of petroleum based business and which properties do not.
Phase II ESA consists of physical analysis of any properties that have a history of petroleum businesses. Electromagnetic imaging is used to locate underground steel tanks, and earth boring is used to take soil samples to test for petroleum contamination.
If any petroleum contamination is found, then a Remediation Action Plan will be finalized to guide a smooth and successful cleanup before and simultaneous to construction.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will oversee the results to ensure the land is suitably rehabilitated.
Brownfield cleanups are more complicated than construction on fresh lands, but they also offer significant lasting benefits to the community.
Removing underground tanks and cleaning ground water contaminants improves community health.
New downtown parks and sidewalks will make downtown more pedestrian friendly and increase accessibility to downtown businesses.
Downtown Medford will be a stronger regional hub with concentrated shopping, entertainment, employment, and culture.The incentives of the EPA Brownfields Grant Program is giving downtown Medford a chance to extend a legacy of environmental and economic stewardship for future generations.
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