Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Blue Springs, MO

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, President George W. Bush 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 petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Blue Springs for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct approximately 20 Phase I and six Phase II site assessments, and develop cleanup plans for several sites in the downtown area and commercial corridor. Funds also will be used for community outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Blue Springs was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The population of Blue Springs is 49,398, which is an increase of almost 40,000 residents since 1970. Blue Springs has become a highly desirable commuter suburb of Kansas City and exhibits many characteristics typical of suburbs, including a predominance of single-family neighborhoods, commercial operations fronting major highways, and very few commercial services centering on neighborhoods. It has fallen behind neighboring communities in the development, redevelopment, and retention of retail, office, and industrial businesses. The downtown area and commercial corridor along Highway 7 and Highway 40 have many abandoned and poorly maintained brownfields sites. Redevelopment of the many industrial areas within the city is vital to meet the ongoing growth needs. Brownfields revitalization in the downtown and highway areas will jumpstart redevelopment in these key corridors, and the growth of the city.

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 7 Brownfields Team
913-551-7646
http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields/index.htm

Grant Recipient: City of Blue Springs, MO
816-228-0207

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