GALVESTON — The City of Galveston has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support environmental cleanup efforts at Shield Park, officials announced.

The EPA Brownfields cleanup grant will fund remediation work at the property located at 3228 Church Street, which previously contained underground storage tanks that left contaminated soil requiring cleanup before redevelopment can move forward.

The project is a partnership between the City of Galveston, Vision Galveston and the Galveston Industrial Development Corporation. Officials said the grant will allow the city to move into the next phase of transforming the site into a neighborhood gathering space.

Plans for Shield Park include new green space, a playground, a basketball court and other community amenities.

“We’re grateful to the EPA and our partners at Vision Galveston and the Industrial Development Corporation for their dedication to this project,” Galveston City Manager Brian Maxwell said. “The grant allows us to transform a formerly contaminated property into an asset that will serve Galveston families for generations.”

Vision Galveston began community engagement and concept planning efforts for Shield Park in 2019 and 2020. The organization later worked with the City of Galveston, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and EPA Region 6 to support environmental review and redevelopment planning.

In 2025, Vision Galveston hired Adaapta to assist with the city’s EPA Cleanup Grant application.

“Vision Galveston has believed in the future of Shield Park for many years, and we’re grateful to see that long-term investment pay off for the community,” Vision Galveston CEO Christine Bryant said.

Officials said the grant marks a major step toward returning the property to community use after environmental cleanup is completed.