PA DEP Signs Agreement to Restore Former Erie County Landfill Site for Commercial, Recreational Use

MEADVILLE, Pa., April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Environmental Protection announced today it has signed a consent order and agreement with Moxie Nein LLC and Millcreek Township, Erie County, for the remediation and reuse of a former landfill site.

DEP is currently cleaning up the site, which is part of the Presque Isle Bay watershed. Once remediation is complete, Moxie Nein will subdivide the property and keep four acres for commercial and industrial activity, donating the rest to the township.

"As part of this innovative agreement, Millcreek Township will receive 19 acres of recreational property, valued at roughly $195,000, to be used as much-needed ball fields," DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch said. "The commitment and cooperation that the township and Moxie Nein have shown have been paramount to the success of this public-private partnership."

Through the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) fund, DEP began in late March a $4.1 million cleanup to remove municipal and industrial waste from nearby Cascade Creek, consolidate the waste at the former landfill and apply a protective cap over the waste.

Currie Landfill closed in 1966 and the current site owner, Erie Drive-In Theatre, has not occupied the site for a number of years and does not have the assets to remediate the property. The drive-in owner owes Erie County about $195,000 in property taxes, and there is a $55,131 mortgage on the property.

Moxie Nein, an Erie-based development company, will settle the outstanding tax and mortgage issues and will have 367 days after acquiring the property to donate the recreational parcel to the township lien-free.

The consent order and agreement is available for public review during normal business hours at DEP's Northwest Regional Office, 230 Chestnut St., Meadville. The 60-day public comment period on the consent order and agreement will open April 21 and close June 20. Comments may be sent to the Northwest Regional Office to the attention of the Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields program.

The HSCA fund is paid for by a portion of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax.

For more information, visit www.dep.state.pa.us or call 814-332-6945.

Media contact: Kevin Sunday, 717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection