St. Clair County Commissioners were updated Thursday night on the county's 2016 U.S. EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant Application, during their Environmental/Public Works Committee. Four years ago the county received a $1 million grant for brownfield redevelopment, but those funds have been exhausted. Commissioner Jeff Bohm tells us these funds are important for cleanup projects, such as the old DTE site in Marysville, and the Inn on Water Street in Marine City. Helping to make those properties viable for future use. The St. Clair County Marine Patrol will also be getting a new boat soon. The purchase was approved by commissioners Thursday night during their Judiciary/Public Safety Committee meeting. Bids for the new vessel came in at $259,000, but through negotiations the cost was brought down to $238,000. Most of the cost will be covered by a Port Security Grant, with 25% matching funds from the dive team. The boat will be used by the dive team for more than just search and rescue missions. To qualify for a port security grant, the vessel must be able to search for under water explosives, and have radiation detection equipment.
