Gateway Area Development District (GADD) has entered into an agreement to begin work under its U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Grant, advancing efforts to identify, evaluate, and plan for the redevelopment of underutilized properties across its five-county region of Bath, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, and Rowan Counties.

In May 2025, EPA announced that GADD had been selected to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant as part of a larger federal investment to support community revitalization efforts throughout the nation. The four-year grant, which runs through June 2029, provides funding to conduct environmental assessments, inventory brownfield sites, develop cleanup plans, support reuse planning, and engage local communities in redevelopment efforts.

To support implementation of the program, GADD has selected Atlas Technical Consultants as its Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP). Under the agreement, Atlas will assist GADD with environmental site assessments, community outreach activities, and redevelopment planning to help move prioritized sites toward reuse.

“This grant allows GADD to take an important step forward in helping communities address brownfield properties,” said Joshua Farrow, GADD’s Executive Director. “With project activities now underway, we are focused on working with local partners to identify opportunities and support future investment in our communities.”

Brownfields are properties where redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of environmental contamination. Through the Brownfields program, GADD will work with local governments, property owners, community organizations, and residents to identify sites, conduct environmental evaluations, and develop information needed to support future investment and revitalization efforts.

Project activities are already underway and will continue over the coming years in coordination with local stakeholders and community partners throughout the region.

For more information about the Brownfields Assessment Grant or to submit a property for consideration, visit gwadd.org/brownfields or contact Gateway Area Development District at 606.780.0090. Property owners, local governments, community organizations, and members of the public are encouraged to identify sites that may benefit from assessment and redevelopment planning assistance.

About Gateway Area Development District

GADD is the regional council of government and federally designated Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living, along with the federally designated Economic Development District by the Economic Development Administration, serving Bath, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, and Rowan Counties in east-central Kentucky since 1969. GADD is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of elected officials from the counties and communities within the region as well as non-elected citizen members representing the region’s social and economic institutions. GADD Board and staff are committed to the regional planning, promotion, and coordination of programs for community, infrastructure, economic, and social development.