The Kawerak Brownfield program monitors and assists communities with identifying Brownfields in their community. A brownfield is a contaminated (or perceived to be contaminated) site that could be a hazard to the community as well as prevent the area from being utilized in ways that benefit the community. The Golovin community was very proactive in their efforts to address their community Brownfields. Throughout their process Kawerak Brownfields Program provided technical assistance, and the community was able to clean up the Brownfields site, as well as host a community visioning planning session in June of 2023 to identify future uses for the clean site.
The visioning session opened community conversation so ideas could be generated for how the three brownfield sites within the community could be better utilized. These sites include the former fish processing plant, the old Golovin landfill, and the former washeteria. Community members included all locals, with a special session for youth to provide their insight and imagination for changes they would like to see as the next generation.
We want to recognize the tremendous effort by the Community of Golovin, Native Village of Golovin and the City of Golovin, with support from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Native Tribal Health Coalition (ANTHC), U.S. EPA, and the Kansas State University Tribal TAB for their initiative and action in advancing the remediation of brownfield sites within the community alongside Kawerak. The information and ideas in the document below are the result of and continue to build off of years of work by many.
