CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — The state of Ohio is handing out $192 million as a part of the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program. The goal of it is to clean and green contaminated land parcels, old warehouses and vacant hazardous properties in Northeast Ohio.
Access to water and beautiful land made Northeast Ohio the hotspot for manufacturing companies in the early 1900s, but as those booming businesses left, they often left behind the contamination.
“We were manufacturing back in the Rockefeller days, standard oil. Some of the property that is going to be remediated dates back to standard oil day,” said Tom Patton, Ohio’s District 7 Representative.
Much of that land still sits with mistakes of the past.
“I don’t think any of us feel comfortable with the idea that there are parcels and properties that are filled with chemicals and carcinogens and other things that are just not good,” Patton said.
He said that’s why he is proud to announce his district, Cuyahoga County, received $50 million in grant money, which is more than 25% of all the grant money rewarded in just one county.
“These lands have had to stay empty because of the cost of remediation for a private industry to come in,” he said he is hopeful the grant can attract new business to the county.
“Now, if they can get this land remediated they then can be the middle man to help bring in that particular manufacturing plant or particular company that’s going to come in and be able to hire 50 people or hire 100 people and that’s what we are looking for.”
There’s various organizations that applied for the grant.
“Great folks that have their sites on properties that say ‘give us a chance, let us go in. We will remediate it and once we get the property fixed then we can bring in the businesses to put there.’”
The grant money is going to several groups in Cuyahoga County.
According to a spokesperson from Patton’s office:
The Kurtz Bros. Inc. has received over $2.4 million for the Warner Road remediation project. Since 1886, this property has served as home to various chemical manufacturers, including the National Chemical Company, Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation, and the General Chemical Company. Operations ceased on the property by 2006, but the site remains contaminated from chemical manufacturing operations.
Remediation activities include the removal of lead-contaminated soils and the backfill of lagoons on the property. After remediation, Kurtz Bros. Inc. will explore multiple options for the redevelopment of the site.
Other remediation and cleanup projects throughout Cuyahoga County include:
- Seventh Generation Development Inc. receiving $252,440 for assessments
- NRP Holdings LLC receiving $150,000 for assessment
- Levin Group Inc. Receiving $300,000 for cleanup and remediation
- 2168 West 25th Street LLC receiving $724,838 for cleanup and remediation
- Symba and Snap LLC receiving $677,740 for cleanup and remediation
- Highland Park Transportation LLC receiving $10 million for cleanup and remediation
- DROF BP I LLC receiving $10 million for cleanup and remediation
- Warner and Swasey receiving $1.4 million for cleanup and remediation
- Beacon Communities receiving $1.45 million for cleanup and remediation
- Frontline Development Group receiving $22,000 for assessments
- Sustainable Community Associated receiving $1.8 million for cleanup and remediation
- Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization receiving $52,500 for cleanup and remediation
- Cuyahoga Land Bank receiving $68,475 for assessments
- Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development receiving $50,000 for assessments
- Crooked River Equity Partners receiving $2.1 million for cleanup and remediation
- Spartan Alumni Rowing Association receiving $811,338 for cleanup and remediation
- Frontline Development Group LLC receiving $11,025 for assessments
- Tungsten Industrial LLC receiving $4.5 million for cleanup and remediation
- Cleveland Metroparks receiving $1.17 million for cleanup and remediation
- DROF WH I LLC receiving $10 million for cleanup and remediation
- City of Bedford Heights receiving $1.6 million for cleanup and remediation
- Forest City Developers LLC receiving $287,000 for assessments
News 5 spoke to Cleveland Metroparks’ real estate director Kyle Baker. He said the money from the grant will be used to demolish and clean the soil of a 28,000-square-foot building, the previous home of an aluminum foundry, near the entrance of the zoo.
