WEIRTON, W.Va. (WTRF) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the City of Weirton as one of its grant recipients on Thursday.
The $800,000 grant is part of the EPA's Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants. This will allow the city to revitalize 1,300 at the site of the old steel mill downtown to prepare it for potential projects that will bring jobs.
"This money could not come at a better time to help us cue up these projects," said Patrick Ford, Executive Director of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle.
Officials said this EPA grant is the next step in bringing new development to Weirton.
The money will allow the city to remove potential contamination and tear down buildings beyond repair.
Weirton will also now set up a loan committee to closer examine potential deals and projects.
"There's many brownfields sites applied for every year and we're one of the few that get it in the nation," said Weirton Mayor Harold Miller. "It's a big deal to receive those grants."
"We have companies from all over the world looking to open up manufacturing companies in the areas of energy, chemical, value added metals and transportation logistics in our region," Ford added. "Those places are looking at the Weirton area for a place to call home."
Breaking it down by the numbers, the EPA grant was part of $54 million given to 144 communities nationwide.
Ford said over the past seven years, the region has received more than $2 million in grants from the EPA for to identify property for these deals.
From that money the area has seen $150 million of private investment in area, and it's not stopping there.
"The first thing I thought is that we could possibly realize $50 million in private investment from that $800,000 grant and at least based on our conservative estimates 4,000 jobs just in the Weirton area alone," Ford explained.
For Weirton, it's location makes it desirable to companies.
"Our location means a lot for someone that's in industrial business because we're sitting on the Ohio River. we have access to the Pittsburgh highways here," Miller explained.
Miller also said with other companies like Pietro Fiorentini and Bidell Gas Compressions moving to the city recently, it sends a message.
"Once these success stories start then other companies start to investigate and they realize where we're located and the hard work we're putting in working with the state, local and federal agencies. That's impressive," Miller continued.
