Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet

Toledo, OH

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, the President signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

ASSESSMENT GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum

EPA has selected the City of Toledo/Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct Phase I and II assessments at a former foundry and a former hospital in the central city. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct Phase I and II assessments at a 9.3-acre former industrial/commercial site. Both hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will also be used for cleanup planning.

REVOLVING LOAN FUND GRANT

$1,500,000 for hazardous substances
$500,000 for petroleum

EPA has selected the City of Toledo/Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to receive a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. Hazardous substances and petroleum revolving loan grant funds will both be used to capitalize revolving loan funds from which the city will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities in the central city. Redevelopment will be coupled with new school construction.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Toledo/Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant and a revolving loan fund grant. The Toledo metropolitan area has a population of 618,203, of whom 313,619 live within the City of Toledo. Approximately 29 percent of the 105,565 persons residing in the target center-city area live in poverty. The target area had an unemployment rate of nearly 12.5 percent in September 2003, significantly higher than the 8.4 percent unemployment rate for the whole city. Nearly 29 percent of Toledo's residents are minorities, of whom most are African-American or Hispanic. The City of Toledo has teamed with the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce, University of Toledo, Toledo Public Schools, and others to develop the "New Schools-New Neighborhoods Initiative" that encompasses development efforts to reinvigorate neighborhoods. Construction of new schools is expected to revitalize the long-neglected center-city neighborhoods and address environmental justice issues.

CONTACTS

For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

Grant Recipient: Toledo, OH
419-936-3757

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.