Friends,
A big piece of the Pillsbury Project financial puzzle has come together…Thank you EPA for being such a great partner in our progress!
Moving Pillsbury Forward is pleased to announce that the Pillsbury Project has been awarded the full $2,652,300 we applied for through the EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant Program. With this award we now have the resources necessary to fully remediate (cleanup) the remaining environmental hazards at the former Pillsbury site. And…begin demolition of the remaining structures.
MPF anticipates that the necessary government reviews of our remediation and demolition plan will be completed in the coming weeks. Following that, we will hire contractors and move to get the structures at the site remediated and demolished. We are aiming at having these large-scale site activities begin in the Fall.
We are grateful to the many community partners that have stepped up and moved this project forward. Locally, the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance (SSGA) and the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln (CFLL) have been strong supporting partners from the beginning. The City of Springfield and Sangamon County have embraced and supported the project. At the State level, Senator Turner has led a strong effort and been one of our first community supporters. At the Federal level, Senator Durbin and Representative Budzinski have been tremendous in their support. And, again locally, the hundreds of community members that encouraged and supported progress.
Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher, whose administration has been instrumental in getting committed funds readied for use on the project said “The EPA’s selection of Moving Pillsbury Forward in Springfield for a $2,652,300 Brownfields Cleanup grant is a significant development. This funding will be instrumental in revitalizing the former Pillsbury plant, a site with a history in grain milling, manufacturing, and warehousing operations from 1929 to 2001. This 18-acre complex holds tremendous potential for our community.“
How did this happen? With the coordinated efforts of a grassroots, community-centered, working group that formed into a not-for-profit. Members of our community that care about health and safety, care about social and environmental justice, and care about moving the whole community forward economically.
Thanks for being a part of this important community project.
~ Team Pillsbury
Link to EPA Announcement 5/20/24: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-more-17-million-brownfield-grants-through-investing-america-agenda