Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Camden Port Authority, AR

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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$6,080 for hazardous substances
$44,800 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Camden Port Authority for a brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used for cleanup planning and site cleanup at the Thrower's site at 403 Adams Avenue. The property had been used as a gasoline service station, concrete mixing shop, and auto repair shop. Petroleum contamination has been detected in both soil and groundwater and the building structures on the property contain asbestos.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Camden Port Authority was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The City of Camden (population 13,154) is located in Ouachita County in southwest Arkansas. Both the city and the state have been hard hit by recent military cutbacks, including the loss of more than 6,000 defense-related and retail jobs. More recently, 200 jobs were eliminated at the International Paper Company. The unemployment rate in the county is nearly ten percent and 22.5 percent of Camden residents live in poverty. The site targeted for cleanup, the Thrower's site, is part of the Adams Avenue Redevelopment Program along the Ouachita River. Once cleaned up, the area will be zoned for light or moderate industrial use and include recreational components. Revitalization of the area will improve environmental conditions and restore pride in the community. The Adams Avenue Redevelopment Program venture represents not only jobs and revenues for the City of Camden, but also an opportunity for open space preservation along the historic Ouachita River.

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 6 Brownfields Team
214-665-6736
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm

Grant Recipient: Camden Port Authority, AR
870-836-6436

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