Keith Wilkins, the community and environmental director for Escambia County, Fla. (Pensacola serves as the county's largest city), was preparing to leave on a cross-country trip to Washington state in mid June when Brownfield Renewal caught up with him—to discuss brownfield activities in the county, which has an overall population of 450,000 with Pensacola at about 100,000 residents.

An industrial pulp and paper port city that's had to cope with the rehabilitation of several EPA Superfund sites over the decades, Escambia County could be regarded as the poster child for execution....performing the heavy lifting needed to return significantly large and complex properties to new and vital end uses.

It was probably appropriate to catch up with Wilkins before leaving on a long-tail journey because the executive has indeed been Escambia County's long-distance specialist when it comes to “lining up all the ducks” as it pertains to community revitalization.

Wilkins, who oversees seven environmental and community/housing agencies, including the brownfield office, knows that it takes a long-distance, marathon-like mentality to carry out the task at hand. Patience, with a long-term vision, is the magic formula.

On the job since 1998, Wilkins has been instrumental in cobbling together diverse and creative funding packages across federal, state and local levels in a county that knows a thing or two about turning around Superfund sites—sites designated as such due to years of wood and pulp processing activity.

Presently, Wilkins and his team, including Escambia County brownfield coordinator Glenn Griffith, have been diligently overseeing the cleanup and revitalization of a 26-acre Escambia Wood Treating Superfund site in Pensacola. An abandoned wood preserving facility, the site from 1942 until its closing in 1982 manufactured wood products treated with creosote and pentachlorophenol (PCP), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxin. Properties adjacent to the site include residential lands where PAH and dioxin contamination were discovered. Primary contaminants in the ground water are PCP and naphthalene.

The contamination from these processing activities has impacted 96 acres of land and a ground water plume that extends approximately 1.3 miles from the site. The Escambia Wood Treating Co. filed for bankruptcy and abandoned the site in 1991, prior to the first removal action.

Following are a few topics that Wilkins spoke about in a recent phone conversation with Brownfield Renewal:

BR: You have accumulated much experience in this county going back 13, 14 years revitalizing contaminated and abandoned properties. Can you take us back to the start of the effort, and what it has taken to whip Escambia County back into shape?

Wilkins: At the outset (in 1998), we applied for a federal brownfield grant but didn't get it. We eventually applied for grant money through the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection and eventually secured $140,000, which enabled us to push several efforts forward. One of which was to hire our first brownfield coordinator. (This grant would open the doors for a consistent flow of grants and other capital expenditures over the years.)

BR: Some residents in the county have had to brace for a good deal of change and upheaval—starting with having their properties bought out by the county. How did all that shake out?

Wilkins: We have the distinction of having what's regarded as the third largest residential relocation in EPA history (pertaining to the Escambia Wood Treating Superfund site in Pensacola). We bought 358 homes, and residents were able to buy properties in other parts of the county. The one thing about this county is, environmental justice is very meaningful. Residents are very involved in consensus building in shaping redevelopment plans, which weighs heavily in how the local stewards go about decision-making. In the properties that have been redeveloped—including Escambia Wood Treating—local residents are very educated and very involved. The Citizens Against Toxic Exposure is a group that has been instrumental in being a 'moral compass' in how we proceed with land use decisions.

BR: The local community does seem to be ahead of the curve as it relates to close, hands-on involvement of what these sites ultimately become.

Wilkins: In 1999, EPA entered into a cooperative agreement with the Escambia County Community Redevelopment Agency to learn about what future land uses the community anticipated having from the site. EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included site fact sheets, public notices, and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.

BR: What is the timetable for putting this Superfund site back into productive use?

Wilkins: First of all, this site is one we've regarded as one of the most complex we've had to deal with, and a down economy just adds another twist to it. Ultimately the state of Florida plans to sell the property (more than likely to the city of Pensacola). It's currently a split (county/city) jurisdiction arrangement. The best possible situation would be to have a single owner, and that's what is presently the goal. Once new ownership is in place, a private developer will enter the picture with a redevelopment plan. The way we envision this property is, it will combine economic and environmental best practices, but we still have a way to go on the economic side. On this side, we'll see benefits from property value increases, stimulating the commercial tax base (to the tune of several millions dollars per year) and the creation of 1,700 permanent jobs.

With that said, we're hoping the property results in a smooth transfer to the city of Pensacola by the end of the year. Then, we can proceed with re-zoning, a master plan and infrastructure installations. By late 2013 or early 2014 is when we anticipate the property to be up and running. And of course the ultimate end-use will be a collaborative effort between the developer, the county, city and residents.

BR: What have some of the costs consisted of for the Escambia Wood Treating site?

Wilkins: Cleanup costs for soil remediation have been around $40 million, and that's now completed. The housing relocation piece cost the county about $600,000. The costs have been supported in various funding streams. For assessment grants, we received $400,000 from EPA and $200,000 for petroleum assessment, just to name two. Over the years, we've had a lot of success securing HUD community block grants for this and other redevelopments.

BR: In addition to being known for an inordinate number of Superfund sites, there is a green and renewable distinction for which the county has been able to garner some additional acclaim.

Wilkins: Yes, Escambia County has what is known to be the largest green roof in the state of Florida. It's the roof on our own County central office complex. We call it the “one stop” (because people can go to the office and conduct a multitude of county business). It's 80,000 sq. ft. and two stories tall. For storm water management, the roof features impervious pavers and also features native landscaping. We received a $1.5 million grant from the state to fund the effort. And from a maintenance standpoint, county employees monitor the roof on an ongoing basis. We also feature a water quality lab in the building.