CITY OF PIQUA AWARDED $2 MILLION CLEAN OHIO REVITALIZATION FUND GRANT TO DEMOLISH PIQUA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

JUNE 29, 2011 - COLUMBUS - Today the Clean Ohio Council awarded over $26 million to seventeen projects around the State of Ohio, including a request from the City of Piqua to demolish the Piqua Memorial Hosptial and remediate environmental issues at the site.

The City of Piqua will receive $2,000,000 through the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund (CORF) grant fund to conduct demolition and remediation activities at the former Piqua Memorial Hosptial located at 624 Park Avenue and 813 Nicklin Avenue.  Prior to remediation, the City of Piqua itends to acquire the property and market the property for redevelopment.  The funds will be used to remove asbestos, universal waste and demolish existing buildings.

"This competitive funding was a pivotal piece of the overall redevelopment strategy of this site," said William Murphy, Executive Director of Grow Piqua Now.  Murphy added, "With this funding, we now have the ability to eradicate this blighting influence from our community."

This is the second Clean Ohio grant the City of Piqua has received for the former hosptial site.  Last year, the City of Piqua received a Clean Ohio Assistance Fund (COAF) grant to assess the environmental issues at the site.  This information was used to prepare the clean-up and demolition cost estimates used in the CORF grant.

Both the COAF and CORF grant programs are funded through the Clean Ohio Fund, a bond program approved by Ohio voters.  The Clean Ohio Fund restores, protects and connects Ohio's important natural and urban places by preserving greenspace and farmland, improving outdoor recreation and by cleaning up brownfields to encourage redevelopment and revitalize communities.  For more information about the Clean Ohio Fund, visit clean.ohio.gov.