Madison County officials give updates given on Highland enterprise zone, Brownfield site identification efforts
Detailed information on the new Madison County Enterprise Zone, which includes the city of Highland, and the ongoing study of Brownfield sites in the county were the subjects of a presentation made this week at the Highland City Council Chambers to city officials, community and business leaders, and the public.
The event, conducted by Madison County Community Development (MCCD) in association with the city of Highland and the Highland Chamber of Commerce, also included presentations by representatives of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC), Madison County Employment & Training department (MCET), the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Small Business Development Center (SBDA), and the MCCD economic development office.
“The continuing effort to improve economic development in Madison County is extremely important and has been one of my top priorities as chairman,” said Madison County Chairman Alan J. Dunstan. “But as important as it is for your county officials to aggressively pursue new development and work with existing businesses to create employment opportunities for our residents, it is equally important to let our citizens and our business and community leaders know what we are doing, how we are working for them.
“That’s why we are conducting these meetings. It is important to let people know what Madison County and our partners, like Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center and the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Small Business Development Center, are doing on their behalf.”
Dunstan also commended the city of Highland on its efforts regarding the recently created Enterprise Zone.
“I have to give credit where credit is due. The creation of the new Enterprise Zone is the direct result of the initiative of City Manager Mark Latham and Assistant City Manager Lisa Peck. The Enterprise Zone is extremely important tool to use in attracting new businesses and helping existing businesses.”
Brownfield Outreach
In 2015, MCCD received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the assessment and identification of potential Brownfield sites in Madison County.
A Brownfield is a piece of property thought to be contaminated by environmental hazards. Typical brownfield sites include former locations of gas stations, medical facilities, or any site that could be contaminated by asbestos.
A total of $200,000 was allotted for the assessment of sites marked for hazardous waste contamination, and $200,000 for assessment of sites contaminated by petroleum. This meeting was the first of several which will be held throughout the county to gather information from the public about potential sites and to provide county residents the opportunity to ask questions or share information regarding potential brownfield sites.
Frank Miles, MCCD administrator, said the importance of Brownfield identification and its significance in rural Madison County, where many potential brownfield sites pose a threat to future development if not correctly identified and cleaned up.
“Many rural communities that may have supported the industrial facilities in the eastern part of the county have sites that are abandoned due to industry contraction,” Miles said. “Highland, for example, was a major industrial center for rural, eastern Madison County and has experienced this type of contraction. Other smaller communities along major transportation corridors are dotted with long-closed gas stations, creating impediments to redevelopment.”
Environmental Operations Inc. (EOI) was retained by MCCD to help with the project management. James Arnold is serving as the project coordinator on behalf of MCCD. Additional information regarding the brownfield assessment study can be found on the Madison County website, www.co.madison.il.us, or by contacting Arnold at (618) 296-4247 or via email at: jparnold@co.madison.il.us.
Madison County Business Resources
A group of business resource agencies working within Illinois and Madison County came together for a series of short presentations to inform local business owners of opportunities to receive funding and other resources.
Presentations Lisa Kenney of IMEC, Patrick McKeehan of SBDA, MCET’s Dave Stoecklin and Austin Korns from MCCD, on the wide-range of support available to businesses in Madison County.
For more information about the resources and opportunities discussed at this event, contact Korns at ackorns@co.madison.il.us or (618) 296-4391.
This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 7:35 AM with the headline "Madison County officials give updates given on Highland enterprise zone, Brownfield site identification efforts."