United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105) EPA 500-F-01-038 June 2001 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ &EPA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Springfield, OH 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 selected the City of Springfield for a Brownfields Pilot. Springfield is a city in west- central Ohio with a population of approximately 70,000more than 18 percent of whom are minorities and 21 percent of whom are below the poverty level. The city experienced a post-World War II boom as a result of industrial and agricultural growth. In the 1950s and 1960s, that trend was reversed. Inflation and imbalance of wages contributed to the deterioration ofthe city's industrial base. For the past 40 years, the city has fought urban decay caused by absentee owners closing their businesses. The loss of large businesses and changes in building codes that discourage reuse of older buildings have contributed to the number of underused and abandoned structures, many with suspected environmental problems. Although there are properties available for redevelopment, investors are unwilling to risk acquiring property that may have environmental liability. Springfield is designated a situationally distressed community by the state, and is located in the state's enterprise zone. The Pilot will focus its efforts on a four-acre parcel near the city's Central Business District. This site includes usable buildings, utilities, and access to PILOT SNAPSHOT Date of Award: August 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilottargets a four- acre property near Springfield's Central Business District. Springfield, Ohio Contacts: City of Springfield City Manager's Office (937)324-3700 U.S. EPA-Region 5 (312)353-3161 Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/ 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/ ------- freight rail. The property will be promoted by the city as amodel forreusing otherbrownfields in Springfield and throughout the state. OBJECTIVES Springfield will promote redevelopment of the city's underused and abandoned properties through a combination of environmental assessments and economic incentives. The Pilot's activities at atargeted property will serve as a model and catalyst for brownfields redevelopment efforts throughout the city. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES The Pilot is: Conducting Phase I and II site assessments on the targeted property; Reestablishing the Brownfields Task Force; Developing a public outreach program to share information about the project with the community; Providing education to the community onbrownfields reuse, and enhancing citizen participation in the property redevelopment process; and Developing ageographical information system (GIS) pertaining to brownfield areas in the city. Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Springfield, Ohio June 2001 EPA500-F-01-038 ------- |