Governor Jennifer M. Granholm announced today that three communities will receive Brownfield Redevelopment Grants to clean up polluted sites and create jobs. The Clean Michigan Initiative Grants, totaling $733,000 are being awarded to the city of Hastings, city of Benton Harbor, and the Berrien County Redevelopment Authority. These grants are part of the Governor’s Jobs Today Initiative announced earlier this year that will put thousands of Michigan residents to work by speeding up state and local construction and infrastructure improvement projects.

“The Jobs Today program is win-win for our communities,” said Granholm. “Not only are we creating new jobs with projects like these, we are also improving our quality of life by addressing the environmental contamination that threatens our families’ health and prevents economic development and job growth.”

The projects announced today are expected to create 30 permanent new jobs and leverage over $5.6 million in private investment.

“Returning brownfields to productive use is essential to Michigan’s environmental, economic, and land use strategies,” said Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven E. Chester. “The DEQ is committed to working with communities to restore these properties to their full potential and create a real investment in Michigan’s environmental and economic future.”

The Library Project in Hastings will construct a new 20,000-square foot library on the site of a former gasoline station. The library building will be a model and demonstration center for environmentally responsible development, incorporating many green design strategies such as the use of a green roof and rain gardens as well as other water and energy saving features.

The Branscumb Project in Benton Harbor will result in the redevelopment of a manufactured gas plant that was also used as an automobile parts and salvage yard. The grant will address the environmental issues associated with the salvage yard operation, clearing the way for redevelopment of the property. The property is associated with the city’s Brunson Hill Project, an $8.2 million residential multi-family development that will offer quality, integrated, and diverse housing.

Berrien County’s Ace Metals Project in Benton Harbor will return a contaminated, abandoned property to productive use as an operational aluminum smelting facility. The project has also obtained funding from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to encourage hiring from within the community by providing job training to residents of Benton Harbor.

The CMI Grant funding announced today will be used to address the environmental issues associated with each of these sites that would otherwise hinder redevelopment of the property.

The Brownfield Redevelopment Grant and Loan Program was initiated in 1988 and has provided over $69 million for 202 projects statewide. The objective of the grant program is to level the playing field between brownfields and greenfields, encouraging businesses to locate at previously-used sites where infrastructure exists.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised July 5, 2005 by Alice Stimpson acting for Pat Watson