HUMMELSTOWN, Pa. (WHTM) — Local, state and federal officials were in Dauphin County Wednesday to announce new funding to redevelop formerly vacant brownfields.
The Dauphin County Redevelopment Authority received a check for $300,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of nine brownfields grants for Pennsylvania totaling $3.9 million.
“When you have older properties with environmental contamination on them, private sector does not want to come in and take ownership of the property, redevelop it, because they’re afraid of the cleanup costs,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeling said.
That’s exactly how the money will be used, something demonstrated with the former Hummelstown Borough building.
“Went in, did a phase one and phase two assessment on the building, which basically assisted to make it more marketable,” said George H. Connor, executive director of the Dauphin County Redevelopment Authority.
The current plan is to open a brewery in the building.
“It was interesting to see that they’ve done the environmental studies, saves us any monies somewhere down the road,” said Mike VanGavree, a member of Ghost Brewing LLC.
For Hummelstown Borough, it’s a win-win for the environment and developers.
“And the community also wins by having an unused building turn into a useable property that creates continued job opportunities,” said Hummelstown Mayor David Roeting.
The two other sites the county plans to use the funding for is the Lykens School in the borough of Lykens and the Pennsylvania State Hospital in Susquehanna Township and the City of Harrisburg.
“We project there should be at least over 100 to 200 employees that will be generated from this redevelopment on this site,” Connor said.
“The purpose of the brownfields program is much more than revitalizing individual properties,” Wheeler said. “It’s purpose is to be a catalyst that will spark an economic revival in forgotten and struggling communities.”
The city of Harrisburg is also set to receive $300,000 to go toward the Derry Street Transit-Oriented Development Area and Cameron Street corridor.
In total, 149 communities across the country will receive brownfields grants, totaling more than $64.6 million.
The funds will aid under-served and economically disadvantaged communities in opportunity zones and other parts of the country in assessing and cleaning up abandoned industrial and commercial properties.