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Historic school gets nearly $200,000 from EPA to remove asbestos
St. Matthew School Community Association, Inc., of Natchitoches Parish has been awarded $197,996 in brownfields funding by the Environmental Protection Agency to remove asbestos-containing materials.
“EPA uses the brownfields program to partner with communities, so we can give challenged properties new purpose and new life,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene. “This project is a great example of how cleaning up such sites is creating a healthier, more prosperous future for the next generation.”
The association is working to revitalize the site of the former St. Matthew High School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the first public high school constructed for African Americans in the county. Plans include redeveloping the property into a cultural center that will offer health, employment, education and recreation programs.
The St. Matthew School Community Association grant is part of nearly $2 million in supplemental brownfields cleanup funding awarded by EPA nationwide. With the grant, the association will begin removal of pipe insulation, floor tiles and other materials that contain asbestos.
Brownfields are vacant, abandoned, or under-used properties where redevelopment may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of environmental contamination. EPA awarded $1.4 million in brownfields grants for projects in Lake Charles, Marrero, and New Orleans earlier this year. Since the beginning of the program in 1995, EPA Region 6 has provided more than $11 million for Louisiana brownfields projects.
More on the brownfields program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields