Brownfields Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: April 1997 Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets brownfields activities in the state Enterprise Zone and the Business Retention Target Area west of the city's Central Business District.

BACKGROUND

EPA selected the City of St. Petersburg for a Brownfields Pilot. The brownfields project is part of a comprehensive set of commitments made by the Federal Interagency Task Force to St. Petersburg. The Task Force was formed by President Clinton in response to the two civil disturbances that occurred in the city in the fall of 1996 and includes seven federal agencies: Department of Labor, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Commerce, Department of Education, Department of Justice, the Small Business Administration, and EPA. The Task Force worked with local and state officials to identify federal resources to assist the affected community in order to address the problems that precipitated the unrest. The federal agencies will provide both financial and technical assistance to the city.

OBJECTIVES

The City of St. Petersburg's objective is to implement a number of activities to support a demonstration site project in the federal Enterprise Zone. The Enterprise Zone overlaps the Business Retention Target Area, which is west of the city's Central Business District. The city will work with the Brownfields Working Group and its teams (Plan Action, Communication Strategies, Finance, and Regulatory) to build a community base of understanding, resources, and support for the Brownfields Redevelopment Project. Ultimately, the city anticipates that its revitalization efforts will create jobs and stimulate economic development.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

The Pilot has:

• Developed a site selection process and a community participation strategy;

• Completed environmental assessments on 187 properties, with 158 not requiring cleanup; and

• Developed a geographic information system (GIS) database of brownfields sites in the Pilot area. The database can query, research, store, and display property information, including digital photos. It will be linked with the county property appraiser's database and will be updated weekly.

The Pilot is:

• Involving the public in the Pilot area in the brownfields redevelopment process through workshops and other outreach strategies; and

• Identifying and supporting new funding options for brownfields redevelopment.

LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES

Experience with the St. Petersburg Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities, including the following:

• EPA, the city, and St. Petersburg Junior College worked together to certify 26 people for hazardous materials (HAZMAT) and basic hazardous waste operators (HAZWOPER) emergency situations.

• The Pilot has leveraged redevelopment dollars totaling $7,500,000 [$4 million from a Section 108 loan; $1 million from a Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) award; $570,000 from the Economic Development Administrations (EDA); $550,000 from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); $500,000 from the state; and $880,000 from the city].

• The city was awarded an additional $350,000 grant under EPA's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Program.

CONTACTS

City of St. Petersburg
(813) 893-7100

U.S. EPA - Region 4
(404) 562-9969

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/region4/waste/bf/