Thursday, October 9, 2014

The City of Waterloo has completed a dramatic overhaul of its brownfields project website https://thenewwaterloo.com/. Originally launched in 2007, The New Waterloo provides citizens with tremendous insight into the progressive initiative taking place in the community. EPA Brownfields funds have helped Waterloo eradicate blight, redevelop inner city properties, and mitigate contamination exposure concerns. The website provides an overview of the EPA Brownfields Program, highlights Waterloo’s success stories, summarizes the City’s use of leveraged funds, announces milestone accomplishments, and lists city staff contact information.   The upgrades allow the site to be more compatible with emerging mobile devices such as tablets, and smart phones. Further, professional photographs of key projects enhance the website’s appearance. The City of Waterloo has received 12 EPA Brownfields Grants totaling $2.25 million since 2000. City staff collaborated with its environmental consultant, HR Green Inc., and a local website design firm, Visual Logic, to produce the website.