Kalispell is looking to contract with someone to help oversee a $1 million revolving loan fund that the city set up to help people clean and redevelop contaminated properties.

A request for qualifications for a “qualified environmental professional” went out Friday. Statements of qualifications are due to the city clerk by 5 p.m. Thursday, July 5. A contract award  eventually will require Kalispell City Council approval.

Kalispell set up the revolving loan fund with grant money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2011.

The revolving loan fund will make low-interest loans to eligible applicants to assess and clean up properties contaminated with petroleum or other hazardous substances.

The goal of the voluntary program is to reduce environmental and human health hazards and spur residential, commercial and industrial redevelopment that boosts Kalispell’s tax base or offers new housing or employment opportunities.

“The city acknowledges that the key to being successful with this grant program will be selecting the right projects and loan recipients in conjunction with the establishment of safeguards to ensure ... funds will be repaid as planned,” the city’s request for qualifications says.

Kalispell wants a qualified environmental professional under contract to review approved cleanup plans and make sure they are followed, document cleanup actions, ensure compliance with laws and regulations and consult with regulatory agencies.

A $400,000 EPA grant in 2009 provided Kalispell with funding to conduct environmental site assessments. The goal is to inventory and prioritize sites, complete phase one and phase two assessments and develop cleanup plans for sites with the greatest redevelopment potential.

A $175,000 grant from the EPA in 2010 is paying for the Core Area Revitalization Plan that Kalispell is putting together for its railroad corridor.

The city’s full request for qualifications can be read online at www.kalispell.com/clerk/projects_open.php.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.