Marseilles, Streator, Peru receive EPA Brownfields grant

Marseilles has been in a quandary for years over what to do with the old Nabisco factory on the south edge of town near the Illinois River.

But recently, some light has been shed on a possible solution.

The city is among several around the state to be awarded a portion of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Grant that will help assess the needs for cleaning up and improving the site and make it easier for the property’s owner to sell it to a productive entity.

Included in the Marseilles plan is to assess the condition and cost of the old Washington School building.

The grant, obtained through the work of Fehr Graham Engineering and the North Central Illinois Council of Governments, totals $1.5 million. That figure will be shared by Marseilles, the city of Streator for the assessment of downtown properties, including several former gas stations, and the city of Peru, for repairing space in the old Westclox building that was damaged by fire 14 years ago.

The EPA selected seven communities in Illinois to receive grants totaling $9,883,610 in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the multipurpose, assessment and cleanup grant program, including Mendota, which received a two-parcel site that included a dry-cleaning business and farm implement/auto parts retailer. In addition, the agency is announcing $7.95 million in supplemental funding to three existing, high-performing Brownfields revolving loan fund grant programs to help expedite their continued work at sites Illinois.

“The North Central Illinois Council of Governments (NCICG) is excited to be awarded the U.S. EPA Brownfield Coalition Grant Award,” NCICG Executive Director Kevin Lindeman said. “This funding allows NCICG and its project partners, the cities of Marseilles, Mendota, Peru and Streator to assess the need for brownfield remediation in the project target areas, better positioning the region for private investment and redevelopment. This grant will help take the next step in doing the assessments to work towards the ultimate goal of cleanup of sites.”

Marseilles had applied for the Brownfield grants several times in recent years, but this year teaming with the other two La Salle County communities turned the trick.

The Nabisco building, which was built in 1921, is an eight-story plant that produced corrugated cardboard boxes, at the time the largest such factory in the state outside of Chicago. It sits on 4.8 acres on the south side of the city.

The first air-conditioned factory in the Midwest, the Nabisco facility was a major employer to the area until it ceased production in 2002. It was taken over by the Field Container Co., but closed permanently in 2006.

“This will give us the chance to get in there, assess the building, see what needs to be remediated and go from there,” Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck said. “Once we get that assessment and the estimated dollar amount, then we apply for the funding to remediate it … The city doesn’t have any plans for the building. We’re trying to out help the property owner (Scott Olson, of Dynasty Builders in Newark). He has several people interested in it, so I’m hoping this helps us push this over the finish line.

“It’s been an albatross hanging around the city’s neck for a while. When you come over the bridge and see it, you think, ‘Wow, that’s pretty cool,’ but it’s doing nothing for us right now.”

Estimates for the demolition of Washington School located at 425 Bluff St. were, at the time of the applications last November, between $250,000 and $300,000, if the city could obtain the property.

The school, built in 1909, was deactivated in 1990, sending all high school-aged students to Ottawa High School. Younger students attend Marseilles Grade School.

In Peru, the grant will help restore the portion of the Westclox building that was destroyed by fire in 2012. Mayor Ken Kolowski said the city will be working with the NCICG to determine exactly what types of assessment and remediation are allowed under the grant.

Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said the city will be using the funds to investigate the remediation of gas stations in the downtown business district.