TOWN OF NIAGARA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Niagara County is the only part of New York to receive a cut of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest round of supplemental funding.

The Niagara County Center for Economic Development is slated to receive $500,000 of the $11.6 million that’s going to 27 communities across the United States.

That money is being awarded to Niagara County for continued brownfield cleanup work. The EPA says Niagara County earned this money by successfully using Brownfield Revolving Loan Funding (RLF) grants in the past.

“Niagara County continues to work towards transforming our brownfields from community liabilities into assets. Through Niagara County’s Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Program, 14 properties have been remediated, environmental contamination addressed, and new economic opportunities created. The newest grant award will be used to provide low interest loans to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites in the County. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the USEPA and thank them for recognizing Niagara County’s successful brownfield program.”

Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Rebecca Wydysh

This time around, the county plans to use the money for cleanup of the former Military Road School site, which will later result in the creation of the Town of Niagara’s first senior assisted living complex.

The EPA says this project will create 100 construction jobs and 20 new jobs. Plans include a “green building design” and “pedestrian connections to a neighboring commercial plaza, town park and community center.”

“When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community,” the EPA says.

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