Waseca lands state cleanup grant
Jan. 13—WASECA — The city of Waseca is one of six Minnesota cities to receive significant redevelopment funds.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has awarded $2.58 million to six Minnesota communities to investigate or clean up contamination sites approved for redevelopment. DEED's Contamination Cleanup and Investigation Grant Program awarded the funding, which will leverage more than $411 million in private investment.
"We're excited," said Tina Wilson, economic development manager for the city of Waseca. "This grant is going to help take care of hazardous mitigation. The grant will help with cleanup so we can remodel the building to reuse it for the new business going in."
That new business is GT Express, based in Kankakee, Illinois, which is outside of Chicago. GT Express purchased the Waseca property at 1340 State St. last year and will remodel the 81,426-square-foot industrial building into a truck maintenance and warehousing facility.
Dave Benoit, business operations with GT Express, said he expects 15 to 20 jobs to be created with the remodel. The project is in its early stages, with permits outstanding, he said, though the company hopes to start on the extensive remodel this spring and projects to finish by fall 2023.
The city of Waseca was awarded $102,297 in cleanup funding for this 4.48-acre site contaminated with chlorinated solvents. Previously the building was used for metal fabrication and machining. The remodel will increase the local tax base by $12,239, DEED reported in a press release, and will leverage $615,712 of private investment.
The building has been empty for a few years, Wilson said. "We're happy that they're willing to invest in our community and bring business here," she said of GT Express. "We really look forward to the new business and job creation."
"We're excited about supporting the creation of more jobs and higher tax revenues through these grants, which will help transform land that was formerly unlivable," DEED Commissioner Steve Grove stated in the release. "These Contamination Cleanup Grants are an important investment in our communities and lead to strong economic growth."
Since its inception, the program has awarded 624 grants, tallying more than $205 million. As a result, 3,993 acres have been assessed and cleaned up, 50,608 jobs have been created or retained, and more than $9.8 billion in private investment has been leveraged.
Other communities in addition to Waseca to receive DEED grants this funding go-round include Albert Lea, Minneapolis, North St. Paul, Sartell and St. Louis County.
