Mendota to apply for $1.2 million Illinois Avenue cleanup grant

Mendota would like to clean up the block north of the portion of Illinois Avenue that recently burned.

A former dry cleaner business and auto parts retailer located at 805 and 807 Illinois Ave. are slated for demolition, and with the assistance of a grant could be paid for using federal funds.

On Monday, representatives of Fehr Graham Engineering explained to the Mendota City Council the Brownfield Grant process and what remediation the properties will require. The grant, if approved, will require the lots to meet the minimum requirements for cleanup by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

An underground storage tank and removal of at least 3 feet of soil, plus demolition and clearing of the structures, would be covered by the grant, requiring no matching funds from the city.

Further grants also may be possible using urban planning funds to improve the properties after the site is cleaned up enough to satisfy the IEPA.

The $1.27 million grant application deadline is Nov. 13, with the city being notified in May if it will be awarded the full amount. If the plan proceeds as hoped, Ross Grimes of Fehr Graham Engineering said the project could start in about a year.