The Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK) in partnership the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet's Department for Environmental Protection’s (EEC) Brownfield Office organized and hosted Kentucky’s first Brownfield Bootcamps.   These two-day workshops equipped over 50 participants representing communities and organizations with crucial brownfield redevelopment skills and grant writing insights.   

Post-workshop evaluations showed 93% of attendees strongly agreed that they are capable to apply their new knowledge, 86% strongly agreed when asked if they planned to share what they learned with their community and 89% of attendees strongly agreed with the sentiment that they feel more confident in engaging their community to create a vision, determine community needs or develop brownfield reuse strategies.  

Hawesville, Kentucky city administrator Jake Powers gained insights and strategies, and upon his return, he initiated a comprehensive effort to address the challenges of brownfield redevelopment.  “The Bootcamp was a turning point for us," Powers said. "We came back not just with ideas, but with a concrete plan on how to breathe new life into our downtown's abandoned buildings. We realized early on that this wasn't just about cleaning up properties. It was about envisioning what our community could become. We started documenting all the underutilized buildings in our downtown area.  It was important to know what we were dealing with. This inventory was a foundation for prioritizing redevelopment efforts and identifying potential projects that could significantly impact the community. We asked ourselves, if we want to create a place where young people would stay, what do they want us to do?' This led to the organization of a youth listening session this spring, a move that provided valuable insights into the younger generation's desires.”   Powers shared that “We've started seeing a shift in how our community views these abandoned spaces. They're no longer just eyesores; they're opportunities.”