The Erie County Redevelopment Authority helps existing companies and works to attract new businesses to our area.

The authority's goal is helping to boost the area economy by developing real estate and helping to secure state and federal grants for business

She said, "Every successful community has an redevelopment authority that is active and engaged and doing the kinds of things we are doing."

Recently one of those things was providing loans to nearly three dozen small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mengine said, "We created an emergency loan fund for smaller businesses and we gave out nearly $1.4 million."

But traditionally financial help goes to larger companies like Berry Global.

The authority helped the company secure grants needed to finance the construction of a 20,000 square foot addition.

Plant Manager Bob Guthrie said, "We absolutely could not have done it without them.  There is no way we could have gone through that process."

An example of a property the authority is trying to development is a 14 acre site on the former International Paper property on Erie's east side.

Mengine said,"That property has a lot of advantages. It is on the water. It has infrastructure. It has already gone through the Act 2 environmental cleanup."

Now the authority hopes to find a company to locate on the site.