North Star Port

THE CLURE PUBLIC MARINE TERMINAL—Duluth's multimodal logistics hub—features five miles of rail threading through its docks, roadways and storage facilities. Keeping that rail in ship shape takes ongoing maintenance, which Stack Brothers Mechanical Contractors helped provide in late September. Crews replaced 135 ties and rehabilitated an aging switch as part of the $38,000 project. The fortified spur helps facilitate railcar switching and cargo movement near the terminal's midpoint. "It's not a main artery, but it's a section that gives us extra capacity, which helps keep everything flowing efficiently," said Dean Lembke, director of building and facilities for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. "This work will keep it sturdy for years to come." Rail upgrades continue at Clure tilizing $300,000 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Assessment Grants, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority recently completed a multiyear project to remediate contaminants and redevelop multiple sites in West Duluth. "This particular grant program helps remove barriers to redevel- opment of historically contaminated properties, or those assumed to be contaminated," said Jeff Udd, director of government and environmental affairs for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. "Working closely with the City of Duluth and other project part- ners, we were able to help steer these small investments into lasting positive impacts on our community." Initially awarded in 2018, the grant funds supported site assess- ments and cleanup planning at properties with potential for indus- trial reuse, nurturing local job growth and economic development. The Port Authority applied grant funds to two neighborhoods where industrial use is consistent with the planning efforts: Rice's Point/ Lincoln Park and Morgan Park/Gary-New Duluth. U Logbook PORT DULUTHPORT.COM | 15 DULUTHPORT.COM | 15 Port Authority announces completion of grant- supported redevelopment project PHOTOS / Jayson Hron Some notable property locations that received grant funds for assessment and planning included: • Union Pacific Railroad land on Rice's Point (for expan- sion of equipment laydown space for Altec Industries) • The Seaway Building on Rice's Point (for structure rehabilitation and redevelopment as office space) • 2401 W. Superior Street (for redevelopment of property and creation of Oasis del Norte taqueria) • Atlas Industrial Park in Morgan Park (for Twin Ports Testing property) The U.S. EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant program began in 1995 to help communities address the chal- lenges posed by abandoned or underused properties complicated by real or perceived environmental con- tamination. This broader scope allows communities to use the assessment grant funding to prove a site is safe, unlocking its redevelopment potential.

• Cover