SB,
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Brownfields 2003
Grant Fact Sheet
Freeport, IL
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
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.
Community Description
The City of Freeport was selected to receive an
assessment grant. The city has approximately 26,000
residents, including nearly 4,000 residents within the
target area. Layoffs, plant closings, and relocations
have caused the city's unemployment rate to rise to
nearly 11 percent, one of the highest in Illinois. The
deterioration of this area accelerated rapidly after the
W.T Rawleigh Corporation declared bankruptcy in the
late 1980s and abandoned a 450,000-square-foot
manufacturing facility. The area where the Rawleigh
Complex Redevelopment Corridor is located has the
lowest median household income in the city, and 43
percent of area residents are minorities. A signifi-
cantly higher percentage of families in this area live in
poverty as compared to the city as a whole. Freeport
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Freeport for a
brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will
be used to conduct assessment activities at sites
within the Rawleigh Complex Redevelopment
Corridor, which has had many industrial and
manufacturing uses because of its proximity to rail
lines. Grant funds also will be used to conduct
redevelopment planning and community outreach
activities.
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 Freeport, IL
815-235-8200
Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the City of
Freeport has received brownfields funding for assessment
grants.
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
has established a Brownfields Redevelopment Advi-
sory Committee to facilitate community participation in
the redevelopment of this area.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 500-F-03-097
June 2003
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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