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The Fairfax mill site is one of many old mill sites that have been sitting stagnant for many years. That is not the case lately as work has been taking place to clear the site.

We wrote early this week about the clearing project that is led by Harmon Engineering of LaFayette and is funded by a $500,000 federal Brownfields grant and $100,000 from the City of Valley.

The Brownfields Program provides grants and technical assistance to communities, states, tribes and others to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties.

If you have not driven by the mill site, we encourage you to take a look at the progress for yourself.

“Lots of progress has been made in cleaning up the site,” Planning and Development Director Travis Carter told the council Monday evening. “I think this site will look the best of the five mill sites that have been cleaned up so far.”

“It does look good,” said Mayor Leonard Riley. “People should drive by there to see the progress that’s been made.”

Long-range plans are to convert the area into green space. There’s the possibility of having walking trails on the site.

No matter what that space ends up being used for, just having it cleaned up is progress for the city.

We are excited about the progress and wait with great anticipation to see what the end result is.

Projects such as these often serve as the beginning of rapid city growth. Now, we are not saying this will be that catalyst, but we do feel like this is a step in the right direction and will improve the quality of life in the Fairfax community and bring vibrance to the community.

We applaud the work that is being done and also commend the City of Valley for selecting a local Chambers County business to handle the clean-up efforts.