Community Information Portal

Identifying, Prioritizing, and Preparing Sites for Redevelopment

The City of Paris, KY seeks to empower local citizens, neighborhood organizations, businesses, and leaders to guide investment and redevelopment in the community. The City has created this public engagement portal to provide information, status reports, project updates, and opportunities for community participation in redevelopment planning and implementation efforts.

Catalyst: Former City Incinerator, Waste Transfer & Dump Site

A catalyst for community action - the City of Paris’ Incinerator and Waste Transfer site was located and constructed within the predominantly Black West Side Neighborhood in 1965. Accordingly, the September, 2020 West Side Neighborhood Strategic Action Plan identified relocation of this facility outside the neighborhood as a key Long Term Recommendation. Work continues with the relocation of the facility anticipated in 2025 and the visioning for future use ongoing.

New Solid Waste & Recycling Convenience Center Development

The City of Paris, KY and community members have taken action. After recognizing the many challenges brought by the former City Dump, Incinerator, and Recycling facilities to the West Side Neighborhoods since 1965, the former facility is no longer operates as an incinerator, and is winding down operations. The City of Paris is currently developing a new Solid Waste and Recycling Convenience Center on Thornberry Way- Paris, KY 40361.

Groundbreaking for the new facility occurred on Monday, April 29th, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. - including remarks by: Paris City Commissioner, Wallis Brooks; City of Paris City Manager, Jamie Miller; Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear; US EPA Region 4 Administrator, Jeaneanne Gettle; Kentucky State Senator, Stephen West; Kentucky State Representative, Matthew Koch; Bourbon County Judge Executive, Michael Williams; and City of Paris Mayor, John A. Plummer.

Targeted Brownfield Assessment (TBA)

The US EPA Region 4 and the State of Kentucky’s Brownfield Program have partnered to provide significant brownfield assessment assistance to the City of Paris, KY for the former City Incinerator & Solid Waste Transfer Site and nearby dump sites. This federally funded TAB assistance is implemented through both direct action by the State of KY as well as through contracting partners Tetra Tech and Adaapta. Over $200,000 in assessment and related TBA efforts have already been leveraged, and are ongoing.

The Pathway to Progress, a timeline of events related to the former Incinerator Site was created by Tetra Tech share the ongoing efforts to move this catalyst site to redevelopment.

Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB)

This community engagement portal and website is an outcome of EPA’s Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB). ICMA TAB worked with the City of Paris, KY to help identify ways to assist other partners from the EPA, Kentucky Brownfield Program, Tetra Tech, Adaapta and Westside Neighborhood Association address conditions at the former Incinerator and Solid Waste facility & beyond. ICMA TAB’s Technical Assistance delivered to Paris, KY included the following tasks that represented more than $40,000 in Direct TA value:

  • Brownfield Inventory: Purchase and analyze EDR Lightbox data, Sanborn maps, and review Bourbon Co. PVA data to create a comprehensive desktop brownfield inventory for the core of Paris, KY. Then, field review data in person using Brownfield Tracker to collect field and truth data compiled and map brownfields and sites of interest. The comprehensive inventory output identified 68 sites, including 17 brownfields, 44 sites of interest, 4 redeveloped sites, and 0 redevelopment ready.

  • Prioritization Exercise: discuss the process of developing a brownfield inventory and identifying priority sites with city staff as well as community members, and how that will assist grant application efforts in the future, and present this to the community as a presentation on July 8, 2024.

  • Capacity Building: Helping identify brownfield challenges and mapped priorities to share in the next FY25 EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant Coalition application round with Bluegrass Area Development District

  • Build Community Understanding: Create this website for the City of Paris, KY to share general brownfield information, community efforts, brownfield inventory outcomes, prioritization efforts, etc. Additionally, this website will host specific ongoing efforts of the City and its partners as they conduct environmental investigation of the Catalyst brownfield site - the former incinerator and solid waste transfer site at 2000/1004 Steward Street, Paris KY 40361.

“Paris has brownfields, as does every community. We see these sites as not just challenges, but unique opportunities to reclaim and revitalize places that hold so much promise”

Jamie Miller, City Manager

Contact

Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Email
Paris.KY.Brownfields@gmail.com