MARQUETTE COUNTY, Mich. (WZMQ) – For a third time, Marquette County has secured a federal grant allowing the assessment and clean-up of its various abandoned and contaminated properties.
Earlier this year, an EPA Brownfield Community-wide Assessment Grant was awarded to the Marquette County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (MCBRA) with a main focus on assessing run-down properties in both K.I. Sawyer and Ishpeming for repurposing.
Jackie Solomon is the Marquette County Treasurer and director of the Brownfield Authority. She says the county is only one of six Michigan communities to receive these federal funds this year.
“This is huge for the county to receive this funding once again. A lot of these Brownfield sites just really need a little bit of incentive to make the project go forward, and while this is a small piece of the entirety of the project, it’s a meaningful piece,” she said.
The Brownfield Assessment Grant Funds have been secured for the county twice in the past, both in 2013 ($400,000) and in 2021 ($300,000).
Particularly in 2021, the grant period created 244 jobs and 94 housing units, all within its $300,000 dollar window. In May of 2025, the county received $400,000 dollars in funds, and is expected to boost those numbers through 2029.
Funds will go towards Phase I and Phase II site assessments, baseline environmental assessments, due care diligence, Brownfield plans and asbestos surveys.
Applications for project funding are received from the MCBRA and can be obtained from the Authority’s website.
