em Power U
                                            Heartland Foundation, St. Joseph, MO
                                                                      Cleanup Grant
              Brownfields Lead to Community and Youth  Engagement
    ADDRESS:       518 S. 6th Street, St. Joseph, MO 64501
    PROPERTY SIZE:   3.0 acres
    FORMER USE:    Brick storage warehouse and vehicle maintenance,
                   storage and distribution facility
    CURRENT USE:   Experiential youth and community development facility
     EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
     Heartland Foundation received
     a $200,000 EPA Brownfields
     Cleanup Grant.
                                 PROJECT PARTNERS:
U.S. Department of Education, Health and Human
Services, Missouri Department of Economic
Development, National Synergizers, Kleinfelder
For additional data and geographic information for this and
other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's:
Envirofacts - v^ww.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms_query.html
Enviromapper - vyyyw.epa.gov/enviro/bf
    PROJECT BACKGROUND:
    Negative population growth and urban disinvestment have blighted the St. Joseph, Missouri community for decades.
    Owned by St. Joseph Power & Light Company from 1916-1980, the three-acre warehouse facility located in the heart
    of downtown St. Joseph symbolizes the area's downturn. Vehicle maintenance, storage, and distribution activities
    conducted on the property contributed to the onsite contamination. Heartland Foundation, committed to building
    healthier communities, chose to invest in this property in hopes of sparking revitalization in this distressed area.
    Using private donations, Heartland Foundation acquired this property in August 2004. Phase I Assessments funded by
    Heartland Foundation revealed petroleum, asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and  lead in the property's soil.
    Through the use of the EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant and approximately $55,000 in leveraged funding from Heartland
    Foundation, cleanup activities were completed in 2006.
    KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

    •   Addressed petroleum, asbestos, VOCs, and lead contamination in the soil.

    •   Created a safe and unique environment to enhance community building,
       civic engagement, and leadership development among local area youth
       and adults.

    •   Created a national model for regional civic learning centers and
       community revitalization.

    OUTCOME:
                                                                                      Interior view ofemPowerU.
    Heartland Foundation converted the former warehouse into emPowerU,
    which houses the emPower Plant, community meeting space, Foundation programs and offices. Doors officially opened
    on August 3 1, 2007. The emPower Plant program serves as the national pilot for civic education and training for young
    people with the capacity to reach more than  15,000 students per year. Middle school curriculum requires students to
    develop civic engagement skills in the technology-rich learning lab. This unique program is aimed at retaining the local
    population by implementing a dynamic, innovative curriculum of civic engagement to create more educational and
    employment opportunities in the region. Heartland Foundation's emPowerU has generated much excitement throughout
    the region, as it demonstrates how revitalizing a prominent physical asset for civic education can spur the renewal of an
    entire community and region.
   FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 7 at (800) 223-0425

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