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We live in a region with one of the heaviest concentrations of EPA-designated brownfields sites in the country. We're no stranger to the scars left by our industrial and extraction past. The Mid-Ohio Valley is fortunate, then, to have an organization working to help us take advantage of those sites, rather than let them remain spoiled.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council has been recognized by the National Association of Development Organizations for its Regional Brownfields Assessment Program. The group uses U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding to lead a "comprehensive regional effort to assess and advance redevelopment of brownfield properties" across Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry and Washington counties.
"Brownfield redevelopment is about much more than cleaning up properties. It's about creating new possibilities for our communities," said Kate Dunn, senior planner at Buckeye Hills Regional Council. "By helping local governments understand environmental conditions and prepare sites for investment, we're removing barriers to redevelopment, improving public health and safety, and laying the groundwork for future economic opportunity throughout our region."
And they're doing it well enough to have received the 2026 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Award for "strengthening communities, building regional resilience, and enhancing local economies through creative approaches to economic and community development."
There is plenty of work left to do, as our region works not only to recover from the damage done, but avoid inviting any more. It is encouraging, then, to know those at the Buckeye Hills Regional Council are working on our behalf.
Congratulations, folks.