State officials announced more than $61 million in new brownfield remediation funding earlier this week to help communities across Ohio clean up contaminated and abandoned properties for future redevelopment projects.
Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik said the latest round of grants will support 160 projects in 75 counties through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program.
The funding includes $45.8 million for 84 cleanup and remediation projects and another $15.3 million for 76 assessment projects aimed at preparing properties for redevelopment.
“Sites like these do no good when they’re left alone to contaminate the soil and impact the health of our neighborhoods,” DeWine said. “Throughout the past five years, we’ve changed the trajectory of hundreds of properties that once held our communities back, turning long-neglected eyesores into places of possibility.”
Since launching in 2021, the Brownfield Remediation Program has awarded nearly $780 million to support 841 projects in 87 counties statewide.
Officials said the grants will be used to assess and clean up former industrial, commercial, and institutional sites that have been abandoned or underused because of environmental contamination concerns.
Once cleaned up, the sites can be redeveloped for housing, businesses, and other community uses.
Several Logan County projects were among those receiving funding through the latest round of awards.
The Logan County Land Reutilization Corporation received $297,835 for environmental assessment work at the former automotive manufacturing facility located at 13060 State Route 287. The project will include asbestos surveys, soil and groundwater sampling, underground storage tank closure work, and other environmental assessments to help prepare the 29-acre site for future industrial redevelopment.
Another $204,665 was awarded for assessment work at the former C&J Pizza property, a site previously used as an automobile dealership and filling station. The project will include soil and groundwater sampling and corrective-action assessments related to suspected underground storage tanks and petroleum contamination. Officials said the work is intended to help clear the property for future commercial or industrial reuse.
The county also received $24,594 for environmental assessment work on a 268-acre property along County Road 32 near Bellefontaine. The site contains several orphan oil wellheads and areas of former equipment maintenance that could present contamination concerns.
In Lakeview, the Logan County Land Reutilization Corporation was awarded $209,532 for environmental assessments along the downtown Lakeview corridor that was heavily damaged by the 2023 tornado. The project covers 11 parcels and includes soil and groundwater sampling, possible underground storage tank closure work, and environmental reporting to support future redevelopment efforts in the village.
An additional $59,401 was awarded for asbestos abatement work at 149 West Columbus Avenue in downtown Bellefontaine. The former church and office building is expected to be renovated into a children’s museum operated by the LoCo Kids Foundation.
The current round of funding was made possible through House Bill 96, which allocated $200 million to the program in the latest state budget.
Applications for additional funding in counties with remaining set-aside money will open May 18 and continue through June 5.
