The Erie County Industrial Development Authority (ECIDA) was awarded a $500,000 Brownfield Assessment Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant will be used to assess, clean up and redevelop underutilized industrial properties that suffer from blight and are a risk to public health and the environment.

This Is the second Brownfield Assessment Grant for the ECIDA, the first for $600,000 was awarded in 2019. ECIDA, an affiliate of the Erie County Redevelopment Authority, utilized the first grant to address several blighted properties throughout the county, including the former Quin-T property at 16th & Holland and the former Erie Malleable Iron Co. at 12th & Cherry Streets. It also supported the removal of a tank at 5th & State Streets as part of EDDC's work to transform the former McDonald's site as well as several projects in Corry.

"These Brownfield grants are critically important to our work and to the community. They support economic growth and job creation and equally important they allow us to address industrial blight and the health and social issues that too often come with contaminated sites," commented Tina Mengine, ECIDA Executive Director.

The $500,000 award was part of the EPA announcement on May 12, 2022 that $254 Million in grants were awarded across the country to tackle polluted brownfield sites, of which Erie County. The full EPA release can be found here: Biden Administration Announces $254 Million to Tackle Polluted Brownfield Sites | US EPA and a full list of the awardees here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/fy-2022-brownfields-assessment-rlf-and-cleanup-grant-applications.

Mengine added, “we’re grateful for the confidence the EPA has in us, and this grant will allow our work to continue.”