Park City seeks public comment on EPA cleanup-grant bid for Bonanza Park 5-acre site

The Bonanza Park area. Photo: Park City Municipal

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City Municipal Corp. is seeking public input on its application for a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Cleanup Grant aimed at funding remediation work at the 5-acre Bonanza Park site, 1665 Bonanza Drive.

A public meeting to solicit comments will be held Monday, Jan. 12, at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers and will also be available via video conference. The city said the draft application will be available for public review beginning Jan. 19 at City Hall and online. Written comments may also be submitted by email to ryan.blair@parkcity.govthrough Jan. 25.

The EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant program provides federal funding to help communities clean up contaminated or potentially contaminated properties so they can be safely reused. Park City is seeking $2 million, which city staff say would cover remediation work, including excavation, export, oversight, and confirmation activities, with no local match required.

EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants are awarded to eligible public entities or nonprofits that own or control a site, not to private developers, city spokesperson Clayton Scrivner said. Park City Municipal is the property owner for the Bonanza Park parcel, which is why the city is the applicant, he said, adding there is no co-application with Brinshore.

Ryan Blair, Park City’s property and environmental service manager, said a Phase II environmental assessment conducted in January 2024 found approximately 28,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil on the property. Blair said soil sampling showed metal contamination, while groundwater is impacted by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). He said VOC concentrations were above residential VISL levels but below remaining regulatory screening levels.

Blair said the city previously applied for the grant last fiscal year and updated the current application based on EPA feedback and revised guidelines. He described the cleanup grant program as highly competitive, noting that last year’s application fell just short of a top score and did not receive funding.

Proposed cleanup approach

Park City’s proposed approach is based on the recommended alternative in the site’s Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) report: partial excavation and removal of impacted soil, Blair said. Under that approach, the city would target removal of the most contaminated material — an estimated 12,000 to 21,000 cubic yards — while background-level soil would remain and be capped in accordance with the city’s soil ordinance.

Current conditions and timeline

Blair said the site is currently capped under Park City’s Soil Cover Ordinance. If the grant is awarded, he said cleanup would occur concurrently with redevelopment, with work likely beginning in 2027 and wrapping up by 2029, though award timelines have been less predictable due to federal-level disruptions.

The grant effort is part of the broader work to prepare the Bonanza Park parcel for redevelopment. In 2025, Park City selected Brinshore Development to lead redevelopment planning for the site.

How to participate

• Attend or watch: Public meeting Monday, Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m., City Council Chambers (with a video conference option).
• Review documents: Draft grant application available starting Jan. 19 at City Hall and online.
• Submit comments: Email ryan.blair@parkcity.gov through Jan. 25.