Dixon pursuing state grant to continue junkyard remediation for Viaduct Point project

DIXON – The city is applying for a state grant to continue remediation efforts at the former Dixon Iron and Metal Co. scrapyard and would commit $200,000 toward the work.

A year ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began $3 million in emergency cleanup work at the site, 78 Monroe Ave., after contaminants were found going into the river.

That work has winded down, and the EPA did additional testing that will likely come in around late December, which will determine if more work is needed, Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said.

The city will miss their window to apply for an EPA brownfields grant this year, so the City Council approved a resolution Tuesday to pursue a state Shovel Ready grant for an $800,000 project with the city covering 25 percent.

The project would cover pre-demolition work including asbestos surveys for structures on the property, developing demolition plans, demolishing the sheds and main building, and relocating utilities.

The $200,000 local match would come from the city's infrastructure tax dollars.

Arellano said they're fortunate with the clean-up progression at the site, especially when buildings can sit for years or decades waiting for environmental remediation.

The scrapyard is part of the Viaduct Point project footprint with the overall goal being to prime the area for future development, including extending the city bike path along that area and up to the viaducts as well as attracting commercial development.

"It's just a matter of time," Arellano said.

The Viaduct Point project is a partnership in which the city and the Lee County Industrial Development Association secured about 10 acres of land stretching from the Peoria Avenue Bridge to the viaducts.

The city acquired the Dixon Iron and Metal Co. scrapyard last year through abandonment court, after about 2 years of extending a contract to buy the property while environmental tests were conducted. Dixon Iron, formerly owned by Jim Pitchford, closed in late 2017.

Previous tests found levels of heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCBs, that exceeded EPA standards. EPA cleanup work included replacing contaminated soil with clean soil, disposing of hazardous materials and restoring the property with backfilling excavated areas and planting grass.