Brownfields Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund Pilot Fact Sheet

Township of Neville, PA

EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.

PILOT SNAPSHOT
Township of Neville, PA	Date of Announcement: May 2000 Amount: $500,000
BCRLF Target Area: Township of Neville

BACKGROUND

The Township of Neville is an island on the Ohio River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Neville was once the leading producer of amphibious assault vehicles used in World War II. With a shifting of the economy and the country's defense needs, manufacturers have left the island. The shipyard closed almost 15 years ago and with other sites have laid vacant or underutilized. Business closures have caused a 40 percent decrease in the Township's tax base, from approximately $30 million to $18 million. The median household income in the Township ranks in the lower half of Allegheny communities. The Township has identified approximately 30 brownfield sites, comprising roughly one-third of the Island's property. Brownfields sites present development opportunities due to the Island's proximity to downtown Pittsburgh and the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport.

BCRLF OBJECTIVES

Neville's BCRLF goals are to cleanup brownfields sites, revitalize the tax base, and provide sustainable wage employment with an emphasis on mixed zoning re-use. The criteria to be used to select sites include the ability to increase jobs and tax revenue, advance the goals of the Township's new comprehensive plan, provide for public health through cleanup of contamination, engage private owners, and develop a model for replication by other small communities. Initially, Neville's BCRLF will target three sites: a light metals site; a shipyard site; and the Chevron site.

FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS

The Township of Neville will serve as lead agency. The Township Engineer will serve as site manager. A fund manager will be selected.

LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES

Neville will commit $15,000 to the BCRLF program. The State of Pennsylvania and Allegheny County also are in the process of committing funding in the amounts of $55,000 and $45,000, respectively. The State's Industrial Sites Reuse Program will enable the Neville Island Development Assosiation to acquire sites and perform cleanups directly. Neville Township anticipates that several private landowners also will use the BCRLF loans and State funds to clean up their brownfields properties.

Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRLF funds.

CONTACTS

Township of Neville
(412) 264-3442

Region 3 BCRLF Coordinator
(215) 814-3211

Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460

Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)

EPA 500-F-00-153
May 2000

Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)

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Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Fact Sheet