FLINT, BAY CITY -- For several years, "Buick City" has been deserted. Once the site of mammoth vehicle production, it is now a playground for grass to grow as high as nature desires; a place where trash is free to blow through as designated by the wind.
That could change if a fraction of $836 million dollars makes it’s way to Flint and other Michigan communities where abandoned General Motors’ sites sit, ready to be cleaned up. Such an effort would jump-start economic development plans by the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“The "Buick City" site itself offers great potential in terms of its infrastructure, the strength of the freeway and rail components,” said chamber Vice President for Economic Development Janice Karcher. “It would be very attractive for future development,” she added.
However it is not clear how long cleanup would take, or when it would start. Chamber officials said they are awaiting information from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The federal government outlined plans for the multimillion-dollar trust fund Tuesday. The announcement came as local mayors, including Dayne Walling of Flint and Charles Brunner of Bay City met with high level government officials regarding development in automotive communities.
If the plan is approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of New York, $131 million dollars would go to cleanup nearly 60 facilities in Michigan. There are close to 90 in the country.
Meanwhile Bay City leaders are hoping to tap into some of those funds to clean up GM Middlegrounds landfill site. Mayor Brunner said the site is worth about $2-3 million.
