ABOVE: Logan Cronk, Danville’s Community Development Administrator, explains the need for a pair of state EDA (Economic Development Administration) grants during recent Public Works Committee meeting.
During this past week’s City Council Public Works Committee meeting, Danville Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk requested that the consideration to apply for a pair of grants would go straight to the full City Council.
The Council will be considering applications for the pair of state Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants during Tuesday (Jan 20th) evening’s meeting.
The first area involves the northwest corner of West Newell and Bowman, the area Hyster-Yale recently turned down for a new location. The city still plans to bring something substantial there, and the city and county have both approved the area for an enterprise zone expansion. This grant would be for $1 million to $1.5 million, with the city paying 20%, for the expansion of sanitary sewer line service right up to the site. Currently that sewer line terminates at the nearby Menards. Cronk says doing this would mean incoming business or industry could connect right to the expanded sanitary sewer lines.
AUDIO: The viability of bringing it, and fully looping that sanitary line, is there. Bringing it down West Newell for even more development, on what everybody knows is farm ground that’s to the east of Menards.
(1st Picture) Northwest corner of West Newell and Bowman (photo by The News Gazette/Jennifer Bailey). (2nd Picture) The old Quaker Oats building during tear down. The city wants to combine that area with the old Heatcraft site for new development; and a $4 million – $4.5 million EDA grant could help with needed flood plain work.
The second grant would be for $4 million to $4.5 million, with the city again paying 20%. Cronk says the objective here would be to take care of the floodplain issue at the old Heatcraft site, so the city could combine it with the old Quaker Oats site for new major development. Cronk says dealing with flood plains is tricky.
AUDIO: It can be a challenge. You’re not mitigating it, you’re moving it. So essentially, it would be designed to find a new location to discharge the water; (an area) that isn’t valuable redevelopment middle ground.
The Danville City Council meets at 6 PM; Tuesday, January 20th.
