News Releases - 1999

Four Cities Awarded Brownfields Redevelopment Grants

Springfield, Ill. -- Alton, Effingham, Farmington, and Macomb have been awarded Illinois Brownfields Redevelopment Grants to evaluate potential contamination and clean up plans for local sites.

The grants were announced by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Thomas Skinner during the All Cities Brownfields Conference in Grafton on June 2.

Skinner noted six communities had previously been awarded grants under the program, which kicked off July 1, 1998. They were Canton, East Moline, Freeport, Lacon, Lockport and Peoria.

"With up to $120,000 available to each municipality, this assistance can be the catalyst to bring back to productive use sites that have been community eyesores or potential hazards to the environment," he commented.

The grants may be used to identify, investigate and characterize sites, determine clean up objectives and develop remedial action plans.

The new grants are:

Alton: Grant of $120,000 -- the city of Alton intends to identify and evaluate the enviornmental problems preventing redevelopment of the Laclede Steel property located in the Alton Industrial Corridor. The project will include performing Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments. The property targeted for the project consists of an estimated 225 acres owned by Laclede Steel.

The city hopes the grant will help identify the best approach for retention of Laclede Steel while simultaneously encouraging other private investment into the Industrial Corridor. Alton Mayor Donald Sandidge accepted the grant award.

Effingham: Grant of $115,186 for a characterization of four primary sites and potentially five secondary sites, all with leaking underground storage tanks. All of the sites are located within the city=s Tax Increment Financing District and it plans to TIF revenues for redevelopment costs. Assistant City Attorney Mathew Hortenstine accepted the grant award.

Farmington: Grant of $26,017 to investigate remediation of a site with six underground storage tanks. The city anticipates that participation in the grant program will allow a local businessman to use the remediated property to expand his own business, creating jobs and tax revenue. Public Works Director Roger Woodcock accepted the award.

Macomb: Grant of $36,337 to do assessments of a former gasoline service station site. A franchise food service establishment has expressed interest in using the site. Economic Development Director Gary Ziegler accepted the grant.

Although the grants may not be used for actual clean up costs, Skinner noted Governor George Ryan's Illinois FIRST program includes a new $10 million low-interest revolving loan program to assist both public and private redevelopers in the cost of removing environmental hazards.

Information on the grant program, tax incentives, site remediation, setting clean up objectives, underground storage tank regulations, and examples of successful clean up/redevelopment projects for abandoned industrial or commercial sites ("brownfields") was provided to local government officials and other interested persons during the conference co-sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.

Illinois EPA also has offered the assistance of "personal brownfields representatives" to any interested community.

Director Skinner also announced additional information, including Brownfields Grant application forms are now available on the Internet at www.epa.state.il.us/land/brownfields.