Environmental Progress - Fall 2001

Alton Business Park Wins Phoenix Award

Community Impact Award goes to Alton Center brownfield site.

During the 2001 National Brownfields Conference in Chicago in September, the Alton Center Business Park was awarded the Community Impact Award, a special category of the Phoenix Award honoring exemplary projects that have had positive effects on a community.

The site for which the Phoenix Award was presented to Alton Center Business Park LLC, and Environmental Operations, Inc. was abandoned in 1993. The 153-acre former Owens-Illinois glass bottle plant site has been transformed into a mixed-use development at the foot of the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Alton. The value of the park at completion is expected to be between $80 million to $100 million.

Clean lines and sharp functional design highlights the new offices of American Water Company.

After removal of contaminated soil, more than one million square feet of buildings were demolished, leaving two warehouse buildings standing. These were stripped to their framework, and new siding and roofs were installed. The former warehouses, totaling 452,000 square feet, are being renovated to meet tenant needs, and 75 acres of land is available for development.

"This site was a major center of Illinois commerce for decades and our goal is to restore it to that position," said Mike Clark, president of Clark Properties, parent firm of Alton Center Business Park LLC. "The American Water Works Co. national customer service center, which opened in April, is expected to employ 325 people by next year. When fully complete, we expect more than 2,000 new jobs to be created by the Alton Center Business Park."

5,000 pound glass-ceramic monument planned for site

To honor those who worked at the plant during its 120-year history, Clark Properties is creating a memorial site with a 5,000-pound glass-ceramic monument that incorporates artifacts from the plant. Almost 700 engraved bricks and stones will be placed in the walkway in honor of former employees and associates of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company plant.

The glass plant was a major presence at Alton for many years.

Since the project's inception, the city of Alton has provided resources, infrastructure and political support. In conjunction with the redevelopment, the city is undertaking a major roadway project to improve access to the site. Clark Properties will donate some of the land to be used for this roadway.

The Phoenix Awards were created in 1997 to honor groups that develop significant brownfields sites across the country. They recognize innovative yet practical remediation projects that return blighted old commercial and industrial sites to productive use.