MDEQ Awards Brownfield Grants and Loans for 11 Communities
The MDEQ has publicly announced additional Brownfield grants and loans to partner with communities to protect public health and the environment and revitalize contaminated property. MDEQ grants and loans pay for environmental investigation and cleanup on brownfields: vacant or abandoned properties with known or suspected environmental contamination.
- The City of Ludington was awarded a $54,000 assessment grant by the MDEQ to evaluate the environmental condition of a former gas station and assist in the revitalization of this visible downtown corner on South James Street. The brownfield grant will help determine whether past land uses resulted in environmental contamination and estimate cleanup needs and costs.
- The Kalamazoo County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority was awarded a $100,000 grant and a $1,250,000 loan to cleanup and redevelop the Vicksburg Paper Mill. The funding will be used to perform an environmental assessment, remove contaminated soils and protect human health.
- The City of Portland was awarded a $12,000 assessment grant by the MDEQ to evaluate the environmental condition of a former industrial grain mill site and assist in the revitalization of this site, located at 401 East Grand River Avenue.
- The MDEQ awarded a $600,000 brownfield loan to the City of Kalamazoo to protect public health and safety and revitalize a contaminated paper mill building. The brownfield loan will help finance the safe transport and proper disposal of contaminated soil from the site. The project is part of the Allied/Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River Superfund site.
- The City of Grayling was awarded a $454,000 grant by the MDEQ to address environmental conditions of two vacant, contaminated storefront, providing for safe reuse of the former Sawmill Tavern and Avalanche newspaper office on Michigan Avenue. Local developers plan to construct a mixed-use building with commercial space on the street level and apartments on the upper floors.
- The MDEQ awarded a $175,000 grant to Barry County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to protect public health and safety and revitalize the former Cappon’s Quick Mart located on 11312 West M-179 Highway. The brownfield grant will be used to address remaining contamination and make the site safe for reuse.
- The Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority was awarded a $330,000 grant by the MDEQ to revitalize the former Red Lion building and return the Bridge Street property to productive use.
- The Delhi Charter Township Brownfield Redevelopment Authority was awarded a $249,000 grant by the MDEQ to protect public health and safety and revitalize the 2000 block of North Cedar Street, which induces eight vacant contaminated properties.
- The Marquette County Land Bank Authority was awarded a $200,000 grant by the MDEQ to address environmental conditions of a former gasoline station in Ishpeming, allowing for the safe reuse of the former service garage/filling station at 1400 N. 3rd Street. The brownfield grant will be used to assess and mitigate environmental contamination, demolish the existing building and remove abandoned underground storage tanks.
- The City of Bay City was awarded a $200,000 Brownfield Redevelopment Grant by the MDEQ to revitalize the former Fletcher’s Marathon filling station property located in the Center Avenue Historic District. The brownfield grant will assess and mitigate environmental contamination and demolish the gas station’s foundation and pavement that remains from the previously demolished building.
- Denton Township was awarded a $42,700 brownfield grant by the MDEQ to redevelop a former gas station. The brownfield grant will help pay for the determination whether past uses resulted in environmental contamination, and estimate cleanup needs and costs.
Merit Laboratories is an experienced partner with Brownfield Redevelopment Authorities, environmental consultants, and developers by providing laboratory testing services supporting Brownfield redevelopment and reuse projects. Merit’s team of chemists and scientists are skilled at managing Brownfield programs to ensure the correct data quality objectives and data reporting formats are prepared. Our team provides CLP-Like Level 4 data packages in support of Brownfield projects for organic, inorganic, wet chemistry, and metals test methods.
Please contact Merit Laboratories to learn more about how we can support your Brownfield projects.