Local leaders applying for EPA grant to decontaminate Old Roundhouse property

ELKHART, Ind. — The city of Elkhart and other local leaders held the second of two public meetings Tuesday about their goal of decontaminating the Old Roundhouse property.

Local leaders hosted presentations and discussions about where they’re at in the process of applying for EPA grant funding for the project.

While the city isn’t able to formally apply because of the government shutdown, hosting public meetings and having a plan for the property once it’s cleared is a requirement for the grant.

The roundhouse, which was torn down in the 1950s, is mostly contaminated by lead and arsenic, a product of the train hub that used to be in place there.

The end goal for the area is that the decontamination would make way for an eventual residential/commercial mix-used area.

Much of the Benham West neighborhood was torn down in the 70s to make way for a redevelopment that never happened.