After two failed attempts, the City of Struthers finally succeeded in winning a $200,000 United States EPA grant to clean up contaminated land adjoining the CASTLO industrial park. The property was once the site of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube steel mill, which left petroleum tanks both above and below ground. Since shortly after the mill's closing in the late 1970's, the land was under the control of CASTLO, an acyronym for the communities of Campbell, Struthers, and Lowellville. The private partnership was formed to find new uses for the former steel mill property. Recently, CASTLO transferred ownership of the land to Struthers for one dollar. This made the grant application possible since private companies were not eligible.
"We've been proactive in trying to move forward on this," says Struthers Mayor Terry Stocker. "We want the land to be ready for whatever comes along." Totaling 2.81 acres, the parcel will be transferred back to CASTLO once remediation is complete. CASTLO totals 120 acres on both sides of the Mahoning River. Read more about CASTLO here.
The money is part of a total of $5.6 million handed out from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. "Revitalized brownfields reduce threats to human health and the environment, creates green jobs, promotes community involvement and attracts investment in local neighborhoods," says EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
