The Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is pleased to announce that it joins
a distinguished group of entities who can proudly say they have won a Phoenix
Award for excellence in brownfield redevelopment. MDEQ, CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT), the
General Services Administration (GSA), and ARCADIS were recognized at an awards
ceremony in May at the National Brownfield Conference in Atlanta. These collaborative partnerships have been
cited as among the best of the best in the Southeast in 2011 and 2012 when it
comes to remediating and transforming brownfield sites into significant
community assets. Mississippi was the
only State to receive two (2) Phoenix Awards during the Ceremony.
Since 1992, CSXT has spent nearly $20 million on the environmental investigation and cleanup of the former Gautier Oil Site. The project is a successful model for low impact, community friendly remediation/restoration of a former wood treating facility that would typically include abundant engineered structures, systems, and ongoing remediation. The acceptance and implementation of practical, low maintenance remedial components has resulted in re-establishing near natural estuarine environs along the Pascagoula River, the only unimpeded (no dams) river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Site, now a healthy and vibrant green space, has been recognized on state and national levels. Most recently the Site was certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council under its Wildlife at Work certification program in November 2012. The Site restoration efforts have also been recognized by multiple professional organizations and societies for the innovative restoration of estuarine habitats.
Since 1992, CSXT has spent nearly $20 million on the environmental investigation and cleanup of the former Gautier Oil Site. The project is a successful model for low impact, community friendly remediation/restoration of a former wood treating facility that would typically include abundant engineered structures, systems, and ongoing remediation. The acceptance and implementation of practical, low maintenance remedial components has resulted in re-establishing near natural estuarine environs along the Pascagoula River, the only unimpeded (no dams) river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico. The Site, now a healthy and vibrant green space, has been recognized on state and national levels. Most recently the Site was certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council under its Wildlife at Work certification program in November 2012. The Site restoration efforts have also been recognized by multiple professional organizations and societies for the innovative restoration of estuarine habitats.
The redevelopment
and construction of the Jackson Federal Courthouse over two city blocks located
in the Central Business District of Jackson Mississippi had a total project
cost was approximately $150M of which total environmental cost was
approximately $1.5M. The GSA has
transformed vacant lots, a former dry cleaner, former vehicle maintenance
facility into a state of the art, energy efficient courthouse to replace the
former Eastland Federal Courthouse. The Jackson Federal Courthouse was designed with a number of
sustainable features. The facility is expected to reduce potable water consumption
by as much as 50%. Construction involved
the use of over 14% recycled content materials, resulting in over 75% reduction
of construction waste being diverted to a landfill. The courtroom doors were made from
salvaged lumber from site demolition and were part of the Art and Architecture
Program.
MDEQ
was recognized at the Brownfields 2013 awards ceremony at the Georgia World
Congress Center on May 16, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. The National Brownfield
Conference is the largest event in the nation that focuses on environmental
revitalization and economic redevelopment.
The Phoenix Awards are awarded by a nonprofit entity, The Phoenix Awards
Institute, Inc., to recognize successful revitalization projects, honor project
participants, and encourage project participants to share their
knowledge/techniques so these model projects can be replicated across the
country. This marks the third time that
MDEQ has been recognized nationally for its brownfield redevelopment efforts.
In 2008, MDEQ and the City of Tupelo won the Phoenix Award for the Tupelo
Fairgrounds project that involved the redevelopment of the old fairgrounds and
a former dry cleaner into Tupelo Fairpark.
Picture (l to r) Jeff Beckner (ARCADIS), Matt Adkins
(CSXT), Joe Shisler (ARCADIS), Trey Hess (MDEQ), Tony Russell (MDEQ), Laura
Shadix (GSA) and Phil Youngberg (GSA)