xvEPA
520 REPUBLIC
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA 560-F-12-004
March 2012
Gratiot County, Ml
Assessment Grant
Property Assessment Leads to Industrial Development
ADDRESS: 520 Republic Ave., Alma, Ml, 48801
PROPERTY SIZE: 18.5 acres
FORMER USES: Residential and Industrial manufacturing
CURRENT USE: Industrial Manufacturing
EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
PROJECT PARTNERS:
In 2006, The Brownfield Redevelopment
Authority of the County of Gratiot (BRAGG)
received a $200,000 EPA Brownfields
Assessment grant for petroleum and a
$200,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant
for hazardous materials.
Brownfield Redevelopment
Authority of the County of
Gratiot, Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality,
Merrill Fabricators
The completed Merrill Fabricators facility.
PROJECT BACKGROUND:
The 520 Republic Ave. property in Alma, Michigan has a long history of industrial and commercial use beginning in the
early 1900s. The facilities built on this property have manufactured trucks, vehicle parts, and specialized products for
a wide range of industrial use. During the 1990s, operations at this property ceased and the facilities lay dormant. In
2006, the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority of the County of Gratiot (BRAGG) was awarded two EPA Brownfields
Assessment grants worth $400,000: $200,000 for petroleum contamination and $200,000 for hazardous materials
contamination. BRAGG spent about $96,000 in 2007 conducting environmental site assessments at the property
that revealed soil and ground water contamination requiring cleanup. Contaminants found included petroleum, lead,
polychlorinated biphenyls (RGBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and
formaldehyde; as well as metals such as arsenic, magnesium and selenium. The approximately $204,000 required for
cleanup was provided by Merrill Fabricators, which purchased the 400,000 square foot facility and property from a non-
liable private owner after the site assessments were completed. Cleanup was completed in August of 2007.
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
• EPA funded environmental site assessments led to privately funded site cleanup
• Leveraged over $ I I million in private sector funding to date for cleanup, redevelopment and reuse of this property
• Leveraged I I I jobs through redevelopment and reuse
• Removal of the site from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) list
OUTCOME:
Merrill Fabricators began redevelopment of this property in 2007 and continues to invest in and update its facilities. The
redevelopment of this landmark property will be the cornerstone for revitalizing Alma's major industrial area, and has
already served as a catalyst for the redevelopment of neighboring properties. Merrill Fabricators has invested over $ I I
million for the cleanup, redevelopment and reuse of this property to expand their Michigan operations; the company
currently employs I I I people at their new Alma manufacturing facility. In addition to heavy-duty welded products and
metal fabrication services for the aerospace and defense sectors, Merrill Fabricators is heavily involved in the alternative
energy industry—manufacturing components and equipment for wind and solar applications. As an added benefit of
this project, this site was removed from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) list after a review by the
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality at the request of EPA Region 5.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields website at www.epa.gov/Region5/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 5 at (3 12) 353-2000
For additional data and geographic information for this and other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's Cleanups in My Community - http://iaspub.epa.gov/Cleanups/
------- |