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Contaminated Lands Environmental Action Network (CLEAN)

Site Assessment Grant (SAG)
Application and Instructions

Please Note: Applications for Round 11 SAG grants are due on or before November 9, 2009. If you plan on dropping off your application at DNR, please contact Shelley Fox (608.266.5798) ahead of time. The DNR building is secured, and you will need a visitor's pass to access our offices.

Application Form, Instructions and Materials

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Application Requirements

Applications must meet the requirements of s.292.75(1)(a) which read, an “eligible site or facility” means one or more contiguous industrial or commercial facilities or sites with common or multiple ownership that are abandoned, idle, or underused, the expansion or redevelopment of which is adversely affected by actual or perceived environmental contamination.”

Points to Prove

The documentation submitted in the application must prove and provide documentation of the four points below:

  1. The property (or was it at one time) an industrial or commercial facility or site with common or multiple owners.
  2. The property/site abandoned, idle or underused.
  3. The expansion or redevelopment of this property being affected by actual or perceived environmental contamination.
  4. The person that is responsible for the contamination unknown, unable to be found and/or financially unable to pay for the clean-up themselves.

If you have any questions or need further clarification about this points, please contact Shelley Fox (608.266.5798) or your local Project Manager.

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Application Tips

Before you prepare an application, please read the entire application form and instructions. If you have any questions about preparing an application, or whether your site is eligible and ready for funding, please contact the RR Program’s land recycling specialist at the bottom of this web page.

To help potential applicants avoid common pitfalls, the following list highlights several common problems that have occurred in past grant rounds.

  • Make Sure Your Site Is A Brownfield. Don’t submit sites that have not been commercial or industrial properties (e.g. schools, vacant lots, etc.). Please document why you think contamination exists and why it is impacting redevelopment.
  • Be Ready To Go. Do not apply for a grant unless you’re “Ready To Go” and expect to complete the project within one year. All parties involved with a project (e.g. the property owner, developer, local government, consultant, etc.) should work together on the project plans so the grant activities can begin soon after the grant is awarded.
  • Get Access To The Property. Do not apply for a grant unless you either have access to the property to conduct all grant and match activities, or you will clearly be able to secure access to the property to conduct activities within 60 days of DNR notifying you about receiving SAG funding. You will need to prove, through written documentation, that you have legal access to do ALL activities listed in your application. An example is located within the grant instructions.
  • Prepare A Detailed, Accurate Budget. Prepare a project budget based on detailed estimates of the costs to conduct the proposed activities. In some cases, after local governments have been awarded grants, the actual work cost significantly less than the budget, resulting in unused grant funds which the DNR may not be able to award to another community. If you are uncertain about which activities you need SAG funding for, or how much some activities cost, you may want to request additional grants funds in future SAG rounds for those activities.
  • Start Working On Your Community’s Resolution Now. Each SAG applicant must submit a resolution approved by the local governing body (e.g. common council, county board, etc.) within 30 days after the application deadline. Municipal Resolutions are due December 3, 2008. Late resolutions will not be accepted. Because it may take some time for your local governing body to approve the resolution, you should start working on the resolution immediately. The resolution must be adopted by the local governing body and an authorized representative must be identified – also, the representative must be an official or employee of the local government (not a consultant). It is preferred that you use the Example Municipal Resolution. This way you don’t leave out any pertinent information.
  • Have Tax Delinquent Information Ready. For tax delinquent sites, you must provide tax certificate numbers for the properties if you want to claim the property is delinquent – your county treasurer can provide this information. Also, if you intend to cancel delinquent property taxes and use that as match, this must occur during the grant period, and is usually done when the county takes the tax deed to the property.
  • Recommendations for Demolition and/or Asbestos Abatement. If you are planning to conduct demolition and/or asbestos abatement, see the RR program’s demolition web page and the recommendation included on page 8 of the SAG application instructions (RR-678) [PDF 575KB] for useful resources and information.

Want to know about previous SAG grant rounds? See our Grant Highlights, Media & Round Specific Information page.

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For more information on this specific page, contact:

Shelley Fox
608.266.5798

Last Revised: Tuesday November 03 2009