Environmental Grant Awarded Funds Slated For Bontex Cleanup
Buena Vista has been awarded a $50,000 brownfield grant to assist with the environmental cleanup of the Bontex industrial property.
“I’m really pleased to share that we did receive the Virginia Brownfield Assistance fund grant of $50,000 to do the further assessment and remediation of chemicals in the basement [of Bontex],” Kristina Ramsey, Buena Vista’s director of economic development, told City Council last week.
“We’re just waiting on the owner match to be transferred over of the additional $50,000 so we can move forward with that and get some really exciting steps forward,” said Ramsey. “And [this was], I think, the quickest grant award I’ve seen turnaround from the time we submitted it to the time they announced the award. So, we’re excited to keep that project moving along.”
Buena Vista applied for the grant earlier this summer following the release of a report on a site assessment and planning study of the Bontex property, an industrial plant at the western entrance into the city that’s been vacant 15 years and is showing obvious signs of disrepair.
The owner, Stanco, a firm in Taiwan, has pledged to match the grant with $50,000 of its own money so that the total amount to fund further assessment and remediation of chemicals in the basement of Bontex is $100,000.
“We’re just waiting on [the owner match] to come through,” said Ramsey. “That’s really positive. Yeah, I’ve had quite a few folks reach out [in response to newspaper reports about the recent Bontex study]. So, we’ve had a couple of meetings with different consultants or folks that are interested … just continuing those conversations and trying to attract a developer who’s going to come in and partner with the owner to make that happen.”
The study indicated that the property presents daunting challenges but potentially great opportunities for economic development. A conceptual reuse plan included with the study outlined a “transformative vision to create a mixeduse hub that integrates recreational, retail, hospitality and community spaces. This plan capitalizes on the site’s historical architecture, industrial ambiance and prime location by the Maury River to offer unique and vibrant experiences for residents and visitors alike.”
