CCEDC Selects BL Companies to Move Ahead with EPA Brownfields Grant
The Clarion County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) is pleased to announce its selection of BL Companies as its partner to proceed with the CCEDC’s EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessments grant.
In 2023, the CCEDC was a successful recipient of a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessments grant. This grant provides funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments and community outreach.
“Following our review and selection process, our selection committee unanimously agreed that the BL team was best fitted to be our partner,” said Jarred Heuer, CCEDC Executive Director. “BL’s team provides depth and will allow the CCEDC great opportunities to leverage this EPA grant into future funding and, more importantly, impactful redevelopment.
Mike Beardsley, Senior Project Manager for BL Companies, shared his enthusiasm, “Our team is excited for the opportunity to work with Clarion County, CCEDC, and the local communities to identify, assess, and establish creative reuse and redevelopment plans for brownfield sites that may be blighted, abandoned, or underused.
Heuer stated, “given Clarion County’s industrial history, we know brownfield sites exist in abundance. Brownfield sites are often strategically located and have access to existing infrastructure. Concerns with site contamination, however, are often deterrents for redevelopment. Tools like this EPA grant will allow us to better understand the risks involved with redevelopment at brownfield sites and could unlock properties that currently do not add value.”
Beardsley added, “We are always thinking one step ahead to make sure we are evaluating future grant and funding sources for cleanup efforts and for implementing the reuse plans that will bring these brownfield sites back to life for a productive use that fits with the needs and vision of the local community.”
The project is scheduled to kickoff in August 2024.
About BL Companies: BL Companies is a 100% employee-owned company providing multidiscipline architectural, engineering, environmental, and land surveying services to clients throughout the US. BL is consistently listed among the Top 500 Design Firms in the US by Engineering News-Record and has over 375 employee-owners across Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas.