United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-105
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
\>EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Laurinburg, NC
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
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.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Laurinburg for a
Brownfields Pilot. Laurinburg was also selected to
receive additional funding for assessments at
brownfields properties to be used for greenspace
purposes. The City of Laurinburg (population 15,681)
has an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent, with 30
percent of residents living below the poverty line. The
Carolina Central Railroad arrived in Laurinburg in the
1860s, fostering a brief period of rapid growth for the
town. The textiles industry arrived in the area in the
1870s and remains a major employer to this day.
Laurinburg experienced a 20-year period of economic
growth and expansion between the 1960s and the
1980s. This expansion was the result of a national
trend, as industries moved into the union free and
relatively inexpensive southern "sun belt" from the
northern "rust belt." The expansion ended, and in the
1990s, it reversed as industries moved elsewhere in
search of less-expensive labor. In the past 2 !/> years,
the community has lost at least 765 jobs and $8.6
million dollars (to lostpayroll). In addition, the Scotland
Memorial Hospital, sold to a developer 15 years ago,
remains vacant. Because it is near a residential
neighborhood and in front of an elementary school,
the community has set a goal to redevelop the site.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Laurinburg, NC
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $200,000
Greenspace: $50,000
Profile: The City of Laurinburg
will conduct site assessments
and prepare redevelopment plans
for a variety of properties with
suspected contamination. The
city will use greenspace funding
to plan the development of
recreational and park space at
the Scotland Memorial Hospital
site and/orthe Main Street site.
Contacts:
City Manager
City of Laurinburg
(919)276-8324
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 4
(404)562-8661
Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region4/wastepgs/brownfpgs/bf.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/
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OBJECTIVES
The Pilot intends to assess former industrial sites for
potential contamination and formulate redevelopment
plans. Using greenspace funding, a plan also will be
developed to turn the Scotland Memorial Hospital site
into a park. The City of Laurinburg plans to either
target sites for industrial redevelopment or to convert
them into greenspace.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as a part of this Pilot include:
• Involving the entire community in decision making;
• Developing an inventory of available brownfield
sites;
• Establishing economic development and community
priorities;
• Conducting Phase I and/or Phase II environmental
site assessments on targeted sites;
• Developing integrated redevelopment plans for
assessed sites; and
• Developing plans for redeveloping the Scotland
Memorial Hospital sites and/or Main Street site into
recreation and park space.
The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subjectto change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Laurinburg, NC
May2000 EPA 500-F-00-105
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