LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city of Louisville received a $1 million boost from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cleanup sites contaminated with hazardous substances.

Those funds will go directly to the city’s Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund, which offers below-market rate loans to developers and property owners to assist with the cleanup of brownfield properties and return them to productive use. According to the EPA, a brownfield is a property that has been exposed or potentially exposed to a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

The Louisville mayor’s office said they will use the funding to focus on the Park Hill Industrial Corridor, an area in west Louisville’s Algonquin neighborhood.

“We hope property owners will take advantage of this loan fund to cleanup some of the more than 140 brownfield properties in our city, making them more attractive to development,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg (D).

The loan can only be used for cleanup; it cannot be used for compliance monitoring, pre-cleanup environmental assessments or development activities that are not part of the cleanup. Subgrants are capped at $350,000.

The Louisville Gardens is one of the major brownfield cleanup projects facing the city. Louisville Metro Government has contracted Tetra Tech Inc. to begin the cleanup and redevelopment of the historic building into sound stages for music, film and digital production.

The total cost of the work is $1,399,948 and will be paid for through Louisville Metro Government’s Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund program. The work is expected to take less than nine months and includes cleanup of lead dust on surfaces within the building, of asbestos-containing material and of suspected lead-based paint.

“A project like the renovation of Louisville Gardens could be a game changer for our community, and I’m excited we’re moving forward ensuring this site is ready for further investment and, hopefully, it’s next phase,” said Greenberg.

Since 2016, multiple environmental assessments and an analysis of brownfield cleanup alternatives have been completed to understand environmental hazards at the Louisville Gardens and what actions can be taken to remediate them.

The proposed project will include restoring the façade of the Louisville Gardens back to the original design of the Louisville Armory, restoring the balance of the exterior, the offices and upstairs black box theatre, and redeveloping the internal structure to construct sound stages, retail space, and a public museum that would highlight the significant cultural events that occurred at Louisville Gardens.