Galesburg receives $1.2 million from EPA to address brownfields
GALESBURG, Ill. (WMBD) — A federal agency has awarded the city of Galesburg more than $1.2 million to address environmental impacts.
The money comes from the Environmental Protection Agency in the form of two grants, the Assessment Grant worth $500,000 and the Cleanup Grant worth more than $713,000, Steve Gugliotta, the city's director of community development, said.
'These funds will help address the environmental impacts of historically contaminated properties, paving the way for community revitalization and economic development. The city has been notified of the awards and is now working to submit all required documentation,' he said.
The two grants will be used for a few different projects, with the bulk of the cleanup grant going to remediate the old Knox Laundry site, he said.
The facility, which used to sit at 57 North Kellogg Street and 332 East Ferris Street, opened in 1898 as a retail laundry store which was expanded into a multi-story dry-cleaning facility, he said.
Between 2006 and 2007, the court ordered the demolition of the building after it had been vacated and condemned because of its deteriorating condition.
'Terminating the business operations and removing former structures has stopped the potential for any continuing releases of contamination into our environment,' he said. 'But until the site is fully remediated, the potential for redevelopment is very limited.'
The money will help the city address remaining contamination, more specifically areas where soil has been 'impacted above saturation limits,' Gugliotta said.
The Assessment Grant will be used to evaluate two different sites that have been labeled as a brownfield.
'A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant,' the EPA's website said.
The first of these two brownfields is the former Broadview Hotel located at 29 Public Square, which throughout its time was home to many businesses, including a filling station which dates back to 1927, he said.
The second was the former Tucker's Printing Company, located on North Cherry Street, which was recently demolished after it had a second fire in 2024, he said.
The site has housed industrial buildings in the past that Gugliotta says have led to environmental concerns.
With any money from these grants, they may have left over sites that will be selected by a Brownfields Inventory, which was put together in 2023 by Kansas State University's Technical Assistance to Brownfield program, as well as consultants at Terracon, he said.
He said they are anticipating the project to run from Oct. 1, 2025, until Sept. 30, 2029, although that is just an estimate, and the projects may not take that much time.
'We are honored by the EPA's selection and grateful for their support in helping us turn theseunderutilized properties into assets for the community,' Gugliotta said. 'These grants will help improve environmental safety, promote redevelopment, and attract future investment to our city.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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