Brownfield Inventory & Prioritization

On Tuesday evening, July 9, 2024 Chris Harrell, Senior Program Manager at ICMA TAB presented both process and preliminary outcomes of conducting an initial brownfield inventory in Paris, KY. In this presentation at the Public Library Harrell explained the goal of identifying and prioritizing sites for assistance to prepare them for investment and redevelopment.

ICMA TAB provided Direct Technical Assistance to the City of Paris, KY to purchase and analyze a comprehensive data package to determine the environmental history of many properties in the central portion of Paris, KY. These data were reviewed along with historic Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps to provide clues to the historic environmental legacy present. Then, ICMA TAB staff members Harrell and Madalyn Dessy compiled a full record of sites, past uses, and environmental reports available that are linked to each site. After a summary spreadsheet was created, these sites were then visually assessed using Esri Survey123 mobile app, and a form itself created by researchers in Kentucky as part of the the University of Louisville’s Brownfield Area Benefits Estimator (BABE) brownfield research project. This “Brownfield Tracker” form, mapped the sites and provided current data to compare with historic data.