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w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 0 • I NSIGH T | 21 community and our residents are really pushing for something to happen with it." e city is working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources to ensure proper cleanup and preparation of the brownfield site for a developer. Vandewalle & Associates is conducting a market feasibility study for the site. Hilbert Hilbert has applied for CDBG funding to remove the former Bel Brands cheese plant, hoping to match the grant with county CDBG-CLOSE funding to help with demolition. Once the plant is removed, village leaders hope a convenience store will be built on the site. Kohrell says the county is using CDBG-CLOSE funds to support local redevelopment projects and eliminate blight in several locations. Northwest of Hilbert in the small hamlet of St. John, the Irish cheesemaker Ornua is moving forward with a $10 million plant upgrade, adding 22,000 square feet of warehouse and cooling space. e project may create up to 50 more jobs, and construction completion is anticipated for February. Chilton Chilton is in the process of hiring its first official administrator, who will have plenty of projects to work on. Aebi Schmidt, which makes airport sweeping equipment, acquired M-B Companies in 2018 and is expanding those facilities, which will add jobs with good wages to the area, Kohrell says. e city received some of the county's CDBG-CLOSE funds to demolish and clean up the former Chilton Plating building to make way for new development. e city is also using grants to conduct environmental monitoring at the site. "It's a strong partnership where we're taking federal, state and county-allocated money and some city resources and we're pooling that to help give that project a big boost," Kohrell says. MARINETTE FLORENCE OCONTO MENOMINEE SHAWANO WAUPACA OUTAGAMIE BROWN WINNEBAGO KEWAUNEE DOOR MANITOWOC CALUMET WAUSHARA MARQUETTE GREEN LAKE FOND DU LAC SHEBOYGAN CALUMET COUNTY Brillion Works "know(s) that it will be a long-term project, but they've got some momentum here ..." — Mary Kohrell, community economic development director, Calumet County