Berrien County's Ace Metals Project in Benton Harbor will return a contaminated, abandoned property to productive use as an operational aluminum smelting facility. The Library Project in Hastings will construct a new 20,000-sf library on the site of a former gasoline station. The library building will incorporate many green design strategies such as the use of a green roof and rain gardens as well as other water and energy saving features.

The Branscumb Project in Benton Harbor will result in the redevelopment of a manufactured gas plant that was also used as an automobile parts and salvage yard. The property is associated with the city's Brunson Hill Project, an $8.2-million residential multifamily development that will offer quality, integrated and diverse housing.

"Returning brownfields to productive use is essential to Michigan's environmental, economic, and land use strategies," says Steven E. Chester, director of the Department of Environmental Quality. Chester assures that the DEQ is committed to working with communities to restore the properties to their full potential to create long-term investments.