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Brownfields Success Stories
Cooperation Brings Success to Kalamazoo
The Alumilite Corporation and the City of Kalamazoo celebrated a new $400,000 office/light manufacturing facility and its first successful brownfields project at a recent groundbreaking celebration. The event was held at the former Fisher-Graff industrial site, which for years had been the scene of vandalism, gang activity and illegal dumping. Continuing their ongoing partnership, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. EPA and the City worked together to assess the site and test the soil for toxic substances. When results of the testing indicated that little cleanup was needed, the City demolished the blighted facility at a cost of approximately $130,000. The property then caught the attention of the Alumilite Corporation, which was looking for space to expand its operations. Alumilite tried to secure a loan with the assistance of the Small Business Administration, but needed to perform an audit to allow the deal to proceed. Due to the flexible nature of Brownfields Pilot funds, the City was able to finance the audit and move the project forward.
The Alumilite Corporation has since purchased the property for $20,000 from the City, and invested more than $400,000 to build a 10,000 square- foot building on the site. This new facility will produce molded plastics for use in products such as medical supplies, toys and farm tools. Eight jobs have been retained in the move, and more positions are expected to be added in the future. For more information on the Kalamazoo Brownfields Pilot, contact Barbara Gordon at 616-337-8801.