EAST HELENA — Those who have been working on the former East Helena ASARCO smelter site are now the recipients of a prestigious nationwide award.
The Phoenix Award is given through the United States Environmental Protection Agency for excellence in brownfield redevelopment.
"This community has had to come to grips with their identity," said Cindy Brooks, the managing principal for the Montana Environmental Trust Group. "For their entire existence, they were a company town that was ASARCO."
This kind of redevelopment involves cleaning up and reinvesting in properties that may be contaminated with hazardous substances or pollutants.
The rehabilitating work includes partnerships with the City of East Helena, East Helena Public Schools, Montana Environmental Trust Group, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, and Prickly Pear Land Trust.
"Whether you're talking about the schools or the parks or the redevelopment and affordable housing, this project has all of that, on top of an incredibly successful reclamation effort," said Mary Hollow, the executive director of Prickly Pear Land Trust.
The project has led to most of the roughly 2,000 acres of land that were once impacted by smelting being cleaned up and being able to be used.
