Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet

Richmond, IN

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders 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

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Richmond for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the 13-acre Starr Gennett Area of the Whitewater Valley Gorge, at South 1st Street. The site was used to manufacture pianos and phonograph records and is contaminated with metals and benzo(a)pyrene. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Richmond was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Richmond (population 39,124) is located on the Ohio border about 90 miles east of Indianapolis. The city's population has been declining since 1990. Within the past three years, several industries have relocated, resulting in the loss of at least 500 jobs and an unemployment rate that exceeds state and national averages. Richmond's poverty rate is 15.7 percent. The city has experienced property tax shortfalls that have reduced its ability to provide services. Cleanup of the Starr Gennett Area of the Whitewater Valley Gorge, one of at least ten identified brownfields in the city, will allow the site to be redeveloped into a park that will serve as a key component in a 70-mile rails-to-trails project. Redevelopment of the site will help remove a health hazard from the community, create temporary and permanent jobs, and provide recreational and educational opportunities for local residents.

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 Richmond, IN
765-983-7222

The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.