&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-98-221 July 1998 Assessment Demonstration Pilot Clinton, IA Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101) 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. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields solutions. The Pilots 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 EPAhas selected the City of ClintonforaBrownfields Pilot. Clinton's population has been declining steadily for years. The economic problems caused by general population loss were recently compounded by Union Pacific's decision to close its repair and maintenance facility in south Clinton, resulting in the loss of 250 jobs. The Pilot will target a 220-acre areaknown as Liberty Square, located within a State-certified Enterprise Zone. Liberty Square's 3,520 residents have a per capita income of $9,281, and 17% of families are below the national poverty level. Of all residents 25 years and older, only 41% graduated from high school and only 14% have a college degree. The area's unemployment rate is 15%. Liberty Square includes a 40-acre rail yard, a solid waste transfer station, and former retail and manufacturing facilities. The area contains abandoned and unused building space that is e stimated to take up hundreds of thousands of square feet. Despite the high demand to develop the land, fear of contamination has hindered development on all the properties in and adjacent to the target area. In addition, the City believes that the underlying aquifer is contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, and PILOT SNAPSHOT Clinton, Iowa Contacts: Department of Public Works City of Clinton (319)242-0261 Date of Announcement: July 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets the 220-acre Liberty Square area, located within a State-certified Enterprise Zone, for assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment. Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA-Region 7 (913)551-7786 Visit the EPA Region 7 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region07/specinit/brown/brownfjelds.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/ ------- volatile organic compounds. The Mississippi River and the City's water supply are at risk from this contamination. OBJECTIVES Clinton's objective is create a corridor of properties in the Liberty Square area that is attractive to prospective commercial and light manufacturing companies. The City expects the project to serve as a model for stimulating economic redevelopment. Pilot funding will primarily be used to investigate environmental contamination and to conduct community outreach activities. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Performing Phase I environmental assessments on targeted properties; • Developing cleanup and revitalization plans for those sites with the most redevelopment potential; and • Conducting community outreach activities to educate and engage stakeholders in the Pilotproject. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Bmwnfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Clinton, Iowa July 1998 EPA 500-F-98-221 ------- |