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Virginia council approves resolutions to back PoHockey cleanup grant applications; developer says environmental results due tomorrow
Summary
The Virginia City Council approved resolutions allowing PoHockey Leasing LLC to apply for IRRRB and DEED cleanup grants and authorized the city to act as fiscal sponsor.
The Virginia City Council on a voice vote approved a set of resolutions allowing PoHockey Leasing LLC to pursue outside funding for a contamination cleanup and to name the city as fiscal sponsor.
The measures, passed under agenda items 8.9 through 8.11, let PoHockey apply for Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) commercial redevelopment funds, apply to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) contamination cleanup grant program, and designate the City of Virginia as fiscal sponsor for the DEED application.
Why it matters: City sponsorship and IRRRB support can serve as required local match or leverage for DEED contamination cleanup grants, which typically require local government involvement. Councilors discussed use of IRRRB funds as local match for a DEED cleanup application.
Developer Brandon Suppolo, representing PoHockey Leasing LLC, told the council that environmental testing results from NTS were expected the following day and said the project team was still quantifying cleanup needs. "We're finalizing all our environmental results; they're supposed to be back tomorrow, so we can get a much better idea of what's involved," Suppolo said. He added that the local contribution could be substantial: "Right now, we're anticipating it could be up to 500,000 of what has to come out," though he said figures could change once testing is complete.
Council discussion focused on the match requirement and how IRRRB funds can serve as the local match to satisfy DEED. Councilors confirmed the steps were intended to keep the cleanup and redevelopment application moving toward the May 1 DEED submission deadline referenced by the applicant.
All three resolutions passed by voice vote with no recorded roll-call tally in the public record.
Provenance: discussion and applicant remarks occur in the council'meeting transcript under agenda items identified as the PoHockey grant discussions and motions (transcript excerpt: "Right now, we're in we're finalizing, NTS is finalizing all our environmental results are supposed to be back tomorrow").
Looking ahead: Suppolo said the team planned to hand-deliver DEED materials by the May 1 deadline and expected a DEED decision within 30 days of submission.
