Beaver Dam Receives DNR Brownfields Grant

(Beaver Dam) The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently announced that Beaver Dam was awarded a Brownfields Grant. Brownfields are abandoned, idle and underused commercial or industrial properties where reuse is stalled by potential contamination. The grant, from the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies program, provides contractor services worth up to $35,000 for the environmental assessment of eligible brownfields sites.

Beaver Dam’s grant will support the assessment of a 1.6-acre site at 109 Ryan Cantafio’s Way, where there is suspected environmental contamination. From the 1950’s to 2004, the site was the location of an auto dealership and repair facility with hydraulic lifts and petroleum tanks. An asphalt parking lot covers historical soil contamination. DNR Brownfields Outreach and Policy Section Chief Jodie Peotter says conducting an environmental assessment brings Beaver Dam one step closer to realizing a revitalization of this downtown site.

The city acquired the property from Dodge County in 2018 to promote economic development and reduce blight downtown. A proposed mixed-use development plan for the site includes condominiums, apartments, and commercial space with underground and surface parking.