OBSERVER Photo The Americold Logistics freezer facility is set to open this month.

One Dunkirk project is the recipient of a package of National Grid economic development grants to fund four Western New York projects that are designed to grow the regional economy.

Americold Logistics, LLC, which owns and operates temperature-controlled warehouses across the U.S., is in the process of opening a cold storage and distribution center at 1 Williams St. in the town. The facility will serve one of the company’s top customers and its current expansion project.

To offset temporary and new electricity infrastructure costs related to the project, which include a pad-mount transformer, National Grid provided a $273,000 economic development grant through its Electric Capital Investment Incentive program. This program provides funds to offset costs associated with utility infrastructure upgrades to accommodate business expansion or new construction projects.

The company provided the funding through its suite of economic development programs that support initiatives such as brownfield remediation, restoration of longtime vacant buildings and facility upgrades.

“Our customers have come to depend on us whether they’re breathing new life into vacant buildings or expanding or streamlining manufacturing operations,” said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. “They work closely with us to determine which of our economic development programs can aid their investments, while strengthening their businesses and the communities where they’re located.”

Three other projects receiving a portion of the $662,000 in funding include those in Tonawanda, LeRoy and Niagara Falls.

The 181,000-square-foot cold storage facility is visable from Route 60 and is essentially a giant freezer, and will store products from the nearby Wells Ice Cream factory. The cost of construction: a cool $41 million.

Just a steel framework in late September, construction proceeded rapidly over the winter. By early March, the building looked nearly complete.

Workers were installing truck bay door liners, tinkering with the ventilation systems on the roof and assisting four Verizon trucks apparently installing telecommunications services.

Americold representatives say the project should be complete this month.