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Community development reports foundry cleanup grant and local business redevelopment
Summary
Director Kyle Kearns updated the commission on several local developments: a $150,000 SAG grant for preliminary cleanup of the foundry site, a $250,000 grant supporting renovations at the former paper mill for a stainless-steel fabricator, and ongoing interest from businesses and developers.
Kyle Kearns, director of community development, gave the department update at the end of the April 6 meeting. He said the city obtained a $150,000 SAG grant to begin cleanup and abatement activities at the foundry site and that the city expects to engage a contractor soon to remove above-grade structures and perform preliminary sampling for contaminants. Kearns said the city will pursue additional funding sources to limit the TIF district’s burden.
Kearns also noted a $250,000 grant to assist a local business that purchased a former paper-mill building on Durability Lane (a roughly 100,000-square-foot building) and said the business — a stainless-steel fabricator — will occupy roughly a quarter of the building while the city looks to lease remaining portions. He said the city is also seeing increased developer interest in the paper-mill campus and a prospective medical clinic site near the YMCA.
Kearns said the department has made staffing adjustments, is engaging contractors for inspection workloads and expects to kick off a comprehensive plan update soon that will include public engagement and a schedule to bring a draft to the commission.
