Pillsbury Project awarded $2.6M through EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant Program

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Moving Pillsbury Forward announced the Pillsbury Project has been awarded the full $2,652,300 they applied for through the EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant Program.

Moving Pillsbury Forward, formed in 2020 and began a 5-year community redevelopment plan for the 18-acre former Pillsbury Mills site in Springfield, IL.

"With this award we now have the resources necessary to fully remediate (cleanup) the remaining environmental hazards at the former Pillsbury site. And... begin demolition of the remaining structures," Team Pillsbury told WAND News in a statement.

Moving Pillsbury Forward said it hopes the necessary government reviews of the remediation and demolition plan will be completed in the coming weeks. Then, they will hire contractors and move to get the structures at the site remediated and demolished. "We are aiming at having these large-scale site activities begin in the Fall."

MPF said there has been an increase in metal theft at the site. Moving Pillsbury Forward has made multiple police reports of theft and trespass. Progress at the site has been slowed by members taking time to repair holes in the fencing, lock down entry areas, and take on-site safety measures.

Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher said, "The EPA's selection of Moving Pillsbury Forward in Springfield for a $2,652,300 Brownfields Cleanup grant is a significant development. This funding will be instrumental in revitalizing the former Pillsbury plant, a site with a history in grain milling, manufacturing, and warehousing operations from 1929 to 2001. This 18-acre complex holds tremendous potential for our community."