Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Rock Falls, IL

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 Rock Falls for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct community involvement activities, perform Phase I and II site assessments for sites in the Rock Falls Riverfront Redevelopment Area, and formulate cleanup plans.

CLEANUP GRANTS

$400,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Rock Falls for two brownfields cleanup grants. Grant funds will be used to clean up the abandoned Reliant Fastener Company site at 210 East 2nd Street and the former Northwestern Steel and Wire Company at 100 5th Avenue. Funds also will be used for community outreach activities. Both sites have been in operation since the late 19th Century. Historical operations at both properties included the storage and use of fuels, oils, lubricants, solvents, and other hazardous materials associated with their industrial activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Rock Falls was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant and two brownfields cleanup grants. The target area is the Rock Falls Riverfront Redevelopment Area, which maintains access to, and views of, Rock River and its amenities. Brownfields in Rock Falls (population 9,580) are associated with disparate and devalued property in the target community. In the redevelopment area, nearly ten percent of the population lives below the poverty level, and median household income is lower than the state's median. In addition, Rock Falls has experienced dramatic job losses over the past several years, most notably with the closure of two corporations which together left nearly 1,600 people unemployed. The decline of the local economy has negatively affected the lives of residents and left approximately 100 acres of vacant and dilapidated industrial properties along the riverfront. The revitalization of the Rock Falls Riverfront Redevelopment Area will help the city replace its waning industrial manufacturing sector with a diversified mix of businesses that will result in a sustainable local economy. Redevelopment will also create open space, enhance property values, and increase private investment.

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: City of Rock Falls, IL
815-564-1366

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