WJON.com
The city of Sartell, Minnesota has been awarded $50,000 for riverfront redevelopment at the old Verso Paper mill site. The city will use the money to fund a study for the 45.8-acre site to be redeveloped into a mix of residential and commercial use. The redevelopment project is anticipated to create close to 100 jobs and increase the local tax base by $647,000. Matching funds will be provided by the City of Sartell.
The funding was awarded by DEED’s Contamination Cleanup and Investigation Grant Program, which will leverage more than $411 million in private investment.
There was a deadly explosion at the paper mill in May of 2012. The mill was permanently closed in August of that year. AIM Development bought the site from Verso in 2013 and demolished the buildings. It has been vacant ever since.