CID Board approves optional grant program for grease clean up

The Executive Director of the Columbia Downtown CID Board told ABC 17 News about the steps they are taking to to clean up the grease downtown on Tuesday.

Katie Essing said that the Downtown CID Board approved an optional grant program for existing downtown businesses to install enclosed grease removal systems, which will help address grease issues in the alleys.

She says they are just now getting the word out to the businesses.

Last week, complaints were filed to the board about overflowing grease collection bins.

“Several alleys have grease bins and we have situations where they overflow, which creates a slippery, unsafe condition for both pedestrians and employees,” Essing said last week.

Columbia’s Public Works Department also said that there’s evidence some of the grease runoff is going into the city’s storm water system.