Augusta to Get Brownfields Help

Augusta, IL – The Village of Augusta is receiving a $74,000 Brownfields grant to assess a partially collapsed downtown building. Board president Sean Eifert says the board has also been told it's been targeted to receive money from a pool of fines paid to the EPA. Eifert says that money would provide what the village now cannot afford -- demolition of the old store building. He says the building collapsed about three years ago, but the owner did not have insurance, so the structure has not been removed. Meanwhile, owners of other buildings in the row cannot either repair or demolish their structures. Eifert says he's been told the demolition grant could come through by fall. He says it would be enough to demolish the building and to take care of asbestos removal costs.