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411 West First Street • Duluth, Minnesota 55802 • www.duluthmn.gov
SUBJECT: $428K Grant Will Help Duluth Clean Up Atlas Industrial Park
BY: Pakou Ly, Public Information Coordinator
For additional information, contact Heidi Timm-Bjiold, Business Resources Manager at (218) 730-5324; or Pakou Ly in the City’s Communications Office at (218) 730-5309.
$482k Grant Will Help Duluth Clean Up Atlas Industrial Park
The Atlas Industrial Park is ready for another good cleaning. The Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) has been awarded $482,000 from a competitive Clean Up and Investigation fund provided through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The grant will help clean up contaminants on the 51 acre Atlas Industrial Park site in order to make way for infrastructure improvements.
“DEDA is appreciative of the support from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Duluth is committed to working with our state and local partners to revitalize critical business development corridors to boost Duluth’s economic future,” said Brian Hanson, Executive Director of DEDA.
The $482,000 grant represents 82% of the requested amount and is significant seed money to start cleanup of lead, arsenic, and potential asbestos-filled debris on site. The grant has a 25% match which will be provided by DEDA along with other potential grant funds from the Environmental Protection Agency. The project is scheduled for summer/fall 2011.
In May, DEDA also received a $500,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Business Development/Public Infrastructure grant program for utility improvements and road construction into the Atlas Industrial Park site to allow future access for developers and access to the former USS Duluth Works property, a portion of which is under option for purchase with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority (DSPA) for an industrial park development.
The infrastructure work is dependent on the remediation of contaminants on site. This Clean Up grant helps move DEDA one step closer to preparing an attractive development site for future tenants and revitalizing the Morgan Park neighborhood.