In an effort to revitalize underused properties with possible contamination, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has doled out $20,000 each to the Town of Linden and Perry County as part of the Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grants (BRAG) program. Announced back in July, these grants aim to identify priority sites that can benefit from redevelopment, with a total of 36 grants being awarded across the state. According to a statement from TDEC, the goal is to clean up and put these so-called brownfield sites back into productive use.
Redevelopment in rural areas, such as Linden and Perry County, is critical not just for environmental cleanup, but also for fostering economic opportunities. Developed under the Rural Brownfield Redevelopment Investment Act, BRAG grants provide necessary resources to local governments and development boards for taking care of blighted properties. It's an opportunity that, having potential contamination from its past industrial uses, the brownfield property could use a new lease on life.
Brownfields are essentially properties that are either underutilized or vacated because of the possibility of environmental contamination. They can range from old factories to abandoned service stations, and they often sit in a kind of limbo, not being fully safe for use but also not being entirely written off. The investment by TDEC in Linden and Perry County highlights a recognition of the importance of addressing these spaces, not just for health and safety but also for the future economic potential they hold.
