The nonprofit Portland Botanical Gardens is one step closer to converting a formerly contaminated site in North Portland into educational botanical gardens and trails on the east bank of the Willamette River.
On Tuesday, the nonprofit organization signed an agreement with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to purchase the 59-acre McCormick & Baxter Superfund site for $1.195 million.
The former creosote wood treating facility is considered safe for people, animals and plants after a cleanup project was completed in 2005, according to the state DEQ and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)…