Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet

Barberton, OH

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.

ASSESSMENT GRANTS

$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Barberton for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct up to eight Phase I and three Phase II environmental site assessments. Funds also will be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to perform the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Barberton was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Located southeast of Akron, Barberton (population 27,889) has a long and prosperous industrial heritage. Many large factories and their supporting suppliers provided the impetus for growth and well-paying jobs. Between 1970 and 1983, many of these businesses closed or downsized, resulting in the loss of over 10,000 jobs and leading to many vacant and underused properties. The city's downtown corridor is significantly deteriorated. Downtown residents are severely impacted, with an unemployment rate of 13 percent and a 52 percent poverty rate. The vacant properties range in size from service stations to the three-square-mile PPG limestone mining site. Assessment funds will help the city quantify potential risks to human health and the environment and continue its redevelopment momentum. Redevelopment will provide market-ready sites at attractive locations, and create mixed-use developments that meet the needs of distressed neighborhoods.

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 Barberton, OH
330-848-6729

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.