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                            C3
 Brownfields  2004
 Grant  Fact  Sheet
       Barberton,  OH
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. Abrownfield 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, the President
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 pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Barberton was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Barberton is a working
class community of 27,899 residents. The local
economy was greatly dependent on heavy industry.
During the 1970s, several major manufacturing plants
closed and others scaled back production, resulting in
the loss of more than 10,000 jobs. Presently, 13.3
percent of Barberton residents live below the poverty
line and the city-wide unemployment rate is 6.5
percent. The brownfields target area is located in the
lowest income area of the city, where 52 percent of
residents live in poverty and 13 percent are unem-
ployed. The City of Barberton is a federally designated
Enterprise Zone, and it is estimated that brownfields
  Assessment Grant
   $200,000 for hazardous substances
   EPA has selected the City of Barberton for a
   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
   used to perform Phase I and Phase n assess-
   ments and asbestos assessments prior to demoli-
   tion activities at a former high school. Funds will
   also be used for site reuse planning, cleanup
   planning, and a community information and
   outreach campaign.
   Contacts
  For further information, including specific grant
  contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
  news and events, and publications and links, visit
  the EPA Brownfields website at: www.epa.gov/
  brownfields.
  EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
  312-886-7576
  http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
  Grant Recipient: Barberton, OH
  330-848-6729
  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, the activities
  described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
account for 16.6 percent of the city's land area. The
city plans to build a new senior/community center,
public health clinic, and aquatics facility at the site of
an unused former high school in downtown Barberton,
rather than on the outer edge of the city. The city
anticipates that this project will revitalize the central
area of the city, bringing increased pedestrian traffic
and encouraging further redevelopment of blighted
downtown areas.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-04-025
                         June 2004
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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