South Bend, Indiana receives $360,000 in brownfield grants

Nov 7, 2009

Two sites in South Bend, Indiana are receiving a total of $360,000 in federal stimulus funding – $180,000 each – to complete environmental remediation work. The money is being provided to the City of South Bend’s Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The State of Indiana received $2.5 million in funding that other cities can apply for, but South Bend was the only city in the state to receive direct funding.

The Good Shepherd Montessori School is one of the two sites that will be cleaned up with the brownfield grant money. The school requires significant asbestos removal. Asbestos was commonly used in building materials prior to 1980, so it can be found in many older school buildings. It is a known carcinogen that can cause mesothelioma or other serious illnesses. Mesothelioma is a rare but serious form of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen.

The other site slated for cleanup is south of the former South Bend Stamping Plant on former railroad property. This site requires soil removal to remediate environmental contaminants left behind from the property’s previous industrial use.

Investing in environmental remediation projects like these helps create good jobs for local workers, and being able to redevelop the sites once they’re cleanup up allows for more long-term economic opportunities.

For the full story, go to Inside Indiana Business.

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