Kaptur delivers $1.8 million federal support to revitalize and clean former Champion Spark Plug site
Commends Kapszukiewicz Administration for Aggressive Effort
Toledo, Ohio – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) joined Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz to announce that $1.8 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been awarded to the City of Toledo for clean-up of the former Champion Spark Plug site on Upton Avenue. The significant federal investment will be used to remove asbestos and building debris along a 5-acre portion of the former spark plug maker's 20-acre production site.
"The City of Toledo and Mayor Kapszukiewicz are to be commended for their dogged pursuit of federal dollars available for efforts such as this," said Rep. Kaptur. "Like our efforts to secure and later restore West Toledo's Overland industrial complex, a renewed effort to improve the Champion corridor will have a tremendous impact in quality of life for Toledoans for generations to come."
"This property has a deep legacy in my own family as our mother, Anastasia, was one of the lead organizers during the union drive at the Champion Spark Plug plant, helping to lift up workers in the plant," said Kaptur. "Now, we owe it to the nearby neighbors to the property and to the legacy of those workers to clean up the plant site so we can revitalize the property for future use. These federal funds put us on the path to progress," concluded the congresswoman.
Kaptur is a Member of the influential Interior Appropriations Committee which has oversight over U.S. EPA spending, where she has fought to bolster funding for EPA cleanup projects.
"We have been looking for all options to address clean up at this property and we are very appreciative of the U.S EPA's funding, especially after the recent brownfield grant award to the city," said Mayor Kapszukiewicz. "This is an important step toward getting that property back into productive use."
The U.S. EPA award is the result of action taken by the City of Toledo in 2017 to advance the site for consideration and clean-up funding. The property clean-up is scheduled for this summer and is predicted to take 2 months to complete. The award is funded through the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, or EPA's Superfund program.
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