Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Brunswick, GA

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 hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Brunswick for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to prioritize sites, perform Phase I and II site assessments, and develop cleanup and redevelopment plans for sites with potential hazardous substances contamination in the city. Funds also will be used to conduct community outreach and health monitoring activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Brunswick was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Brunswick (population 15,424), 75 miles south of Savannah, is the largest community in Glynn County. It sits on a peninsula surrounded by rivers and marshes. Although Brunswick is the gateway to exclusive resort islands off its coast, city residents and the once vibrant downtown area have been left behind. While the populations of the county and state have grown nine and 26 percent, respectively, over the last decade, the city has lost five percent of its residents. More than 25 percent of the city's families live below the poverty level, and the unemployment rate is two-thirds higher than the state rate. Over 65 percent of Brunswick's residents are minorities. Growth in the area is taking place on the undeveloped lands outside of the city. The lingering effects of the city's heavy industrial history have tainted efforts toward revitalization. Assessment of brownfields sites, many of which border the major arteries in the city, will bring the community closer to achieving the objectives of its consolidated plan over the next five years. These objectives include reuse of brownfields land and structures for housing, business, and recreation. Redevelopment of these sites is expected to bring new jobs to the area, increase neighboring property values, and generate tax revenues for 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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8684
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: City of Brunswick, GA
912-265-4610

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