Transformation Of Former Smelter In East Helena, Montana, Wins Prestigious Phoenix Award
Author: Kelly Harris, East Helena Mayor
Transformation of Former Smelter in East Helena, Montana, Wins Prestigious Phoenix Award
Kelly Harris
East Helena Mayor
CHICAGO, IL (August 8, 2025) – The transformation of a former lead smelter and surrounding land in East Helena, Montana, has earned a prestigious U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Phoenix Award for excellence in brownfields redevelopment. The cleanup and revitalization of the former ASARCO smelter site received the 2025 Phoenix Award for EPA Region 8 yesterday at the National Brownfields Conference in Chicago.
A century of lead smelting by ASARCO contaminated soil and groundwater and left behind a 16-million-ton slag pile. Since the ASARCO bankruptcy settlement created the Montana Environmental Custodial Trust in 2009, Montana Environmental Trust Group (METG), as trustee, has remediated the former smelter and facilitated the reuse of most of the ±2,000 acres of contaminated land in collaboration with its project partners and East Helena stakeholders, with the support, guidance, and approval of EPA. See the project fact sheet.
Former ASARCO lands have been successfully redeveloped into two public schools, a 319-home subdivision, a 322-acre park and trails, a county search-and-rescue facility, a 26,000-square-foot store, a manufacturing plant expansion, and a new rodeo arena. Another 5,500 homes, more parks, and additional commercial, office, light industrial, and retail uses are planned. See East Helena redevelopment.
Rebirth of the former smelter site and former ASARCO lands in East Helena is the result of the shared vision, commitment, professionalism, and leadership of the core team of project partners, including METG, EPA Region 8, the City of East Helena, East Helena Public Schools, Prickly Pear Land Trust, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, and Oakland Companies. The trust cultivated over 15 years of community engagement has also been key to redevelopment success.
“The transformation of the former ASARCO smelter site in East Helena is a testament to what’s possible when local leadership, community vision, and federal partnership come together,” said EPA Region 8 Administrator Cyrus Western. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our partners at METG, the City of East Helena, and many other organizations, most of the 2,000 acres of once-contaminated land has been cleaned up and put to good use, bringing jobs, strengthening the local economy and creating new opportunities for families and businesses. This Phoenix Award is a well-deserved recognition of the community’s long-term vision and commitment to economic renewal.”
“METG is profoundly grateful to its project partners and honored to be recognized for our contribution to revitalizing a 2,000-acre site and the renewal of East Helena,” said Cynthia Brooks, managing principal of Montana Environmental Trust Group (METG), the trustee that has cleaned up the smelter and facilitated site redevelopment. “METG inherited contamination from 100 years of lead smelting. Under EPA leadership, METG has substantially remediated the former smelter, with dramatic improvements in groundwater quality and more than one half the cleanup funds still available for additional work. The cleanup results and close collaboration with our project partners have helped transform hundreds of former ASARCO acres into community assets, dubbed ‘The Miracle of East Helena’ by one member of our team. East Helena exemplifies the strength and value of public-private partnerships.”
“The environmental cleanup revitalized the former smelter lands. Now we’re seeing tremendous growth and a renewed sense of community,” said East Helena Mayor Kelly Harris, whose father and uncles worked at the ASARCO smelter that operated for over a century and fostered generations of blue-collar workers and their families. “The teamwork, the effort, and the care that have gone into every step of this transformation has been amazing.”
“East Helena is an incredible community, and everyone – from the mayor and council members to the superintendent of schools and business leaders – works hard together selflessly to make their corner of the world better for future generations,” said Mary Hollow, executive director of Prickly Pear Land Trust. “The community built a roadmap for what they wanted with good jobs, homes, trails, parks, and connectivity. Prickly Pear Land Trust helped turn that vision into reality by opening two parks in East Helena. The community now enjoys more than 300 acres of open space plus trails, wildlife, and education programs at The Grove and Prickly Pear Park.”
“I am so excited about the future of East Helena,” said Dan Rispens, East Helena Schools Superintendent. “This partnership has been a benefit to our students and district residents. Our top-notch facilities are serving the community well and will continue to do so for years to come. The reclaimed ASARCO properties helped us with the construction of two new schools for a very low cost. And this ongoing partnership continues to amaze me in the way it is enhancing the quality of life for our students and all East Helena residents.”
“This recognition affirms the incredible transformation taking place in East Helena,” said Jacob Kuntz, executive director of Helena Area Habitat for Humanity. “Our Rose Hills neighborhood represents not only the environmental renewal of a once-contaminated site, but also a bold vision for affordable, inclusive homeownership in Montana. We’re proud to be part of a community-driven effort, with these strong partners, that is creating a vibrant place where families can thrive.”
“The Oakland Companies is proud to be part of this exciting revitalization of nearly 2,000 acres,” said Landy Leep, vice president of Oakland & Companies, Inc. “Our role in this revitalization began in 2018, when we purchased 100 acres from METG – in the heart of East Helena – for the Highland Meadows subdivision. The success of Highland Meadows was made possible by teamwork with the City of East Helena, the EPA, and METG. In less than 10 years, Oakland helped transform a brownfield property into a thriving neighborhood with hundreds calling Highland Meadows home. In 2022, Oakland further strengthened its commitment to East Helena by purchasing over 750 acres of brownfield land from METG for the mixed-use, Prickly Pear Estates project. Working with Cynthia Brooks of METG, we are remediating the entire 750-acre parcel, with a large percentage to be remediated to residential standards. Besides single-family homes, Prickly Pear Estates will contain light industrial and commercial uses and multi-family residential areas.”
The former ASARCO smelter site was chosen as the Phoenix Award winner for EPA Region 8, which includes the states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 28 Tribal Nations. The Phoenix Award is presented to projects from each of the 10 EPA regions, as well as projects that have special community impact.
“Your team and nomination exemplify excellence in brownfield redevelopment,” Emily Sparks, Program Director, Thriving Communities, International City/County Management Association, wrote in July 2025 to METG’s Brooks. “The projects nominated this year are especially impressive, and a testament to the impact of transforming a site into a significant community asset.”
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PhotoCredit: Greenfield Environmental Trust
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Image 2 Caption: East Helena project team members and partners; left to right: Mary Hollow (Executive Director, Prickly Pear Land Trust), Jacob Kuntz (Executive Director, Helena Area Habitat for Humanity), Kelly Harris (Mayor, City of East Helena), Cynthia Brooks (Managing Principal, Montana Environmental Trust Group [METG]), Jennifer Roberts (Director of Financial Affairs, METG), and Max Greenblum (Senior Assistant Regional Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Region 8).
Greenfield Environmental Trust Photo
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