News Releases - 2000

Six Cities Awarded Brownfields Redevelopment Grants

Springfield, Ill. -- Downers Grove, Pittsfield, Skokie, Chicago, Moline and Thornton are the latest recipients of Illinois Brownfields Redevelopment Grants. The Grants are awarded to the communities to evaluate potential contamination and prepare clean up plans for abandoned or underused industrial and commercials properties.

The grants were announced by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Tom Skinner during the All Cities Brownfields Conference in Grafton on June 6.

Director Skinner noted that 21 communities have now been awarded grants under the program, which began July 1, 1998. Illinois communities have received a total of $1,945,000, to date, for environmental assessments of brownfields sites.

“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 citizens and 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 grant recipients are:

Chicago: Grant of $119,368.70 - The City requested the grant to conduct a study of the concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in surface and subsurface soil in Chicago to establish a statistical, technically defensible area background for PAHs in Chicago.

Downers Grove: $119,338.00 - The Village requested the grant to conduct Phase II environmental site assessments to identify potential soil and/or groundwater contamination from past uses of two specific former commercial locations within the Village and to enter the sites into the voluntary Site Remediation Program, if necessary.

City of Moline: $42,195.00 - The City requested the grant to conduct Phase II environmental site assessment activities to identify potential soil and/or groundwater contamination from past uses of two former locations within the City of Moline and enter these sites into the Site Remediation Program, if necessary.

City of Pittsfield: $10,962.00 - The City requested the grant to conduct a Phase I and, if necessary, Phase II environmental site investigation at the former Brown Shoe Company factory located in Pittsfield.

Village of Skokie: $33,566.00 - The Village requested a grant to conduct environmental assessment activities at the former Village incinerator site located on the outskirts of the Village and to enter the site into the Site Remediation Program, if necessary.

Village of Thornton: $95,256.00 - The Village requested a grant to conduct an environmental assessment of a tax delinquent, abandoned site formerly used as a scrap salvage yard.

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