GRACE LEASE  PROPERTY
                                                                                          at-a-glance
                                                              Lancaster County, PA
                                                                   Assessment Grant
                        Removing Trash Reveals Nature's Treasures
     ADDRESS:           River Road, Manor Township, PA 175 12
     PROPERTY SIZE:      25.31 acres
     FORMER USES:       Wooded lot and trash dump site
     CURRENT USE:       Wild forest lands for recreation, hiking, and picnicking
     EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
     Lancaster County received
     a $400,000 EPA Brownfields
     Assessment Grant.
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Lancaster County Conservancy; Lancaster
County Commissioners; Manor Township;
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources
                                               PENNSYLVANIA
                                                                                  Manor Township •
For additional data and geographic information for this and other
Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's:
Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms query.html
Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf
    PROJECT BACKGROUND:
    The 25.3-acre property—perched on the banks of the Susquehanna River close to railroad tracks—sat idle under the
    ownership of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1905-1957. The property was purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad
    in 1957 by Grace Lease, a local woman; however, it continued to remain idle for nearly 50 years. As a result, many
    county residents not wishing to pay removal fees to the adjacent landfill, illegally created a solid waste disposal area on
    the property. Due to the past history of the property, the community perceived it to be contaminated with remnants of
    a petroleum drum, bottles, trash, and general refuse items in the soil. A Phase-ll site assessment—funded by the EPA
    Brownfields Assessment Grant—was conducted in November 2005 and found no contaminants of concern exceeding
    Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection levels, thus playing an integral role in removing the environmental
    stigma attached to the property. Following successful Phase I and II assessments, Lancaster County Conservancy
    purchased the property in May 2006  in order to put it back to productive use.

    KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

    •  Created 25.3 acres of green/open space and habitat for wildlife

    •  Leveraged $270,000 in funding for cleanup and redevelopment activities

    •  Stimulated Lancaster County Conservancy's interest in purchasing
       property for managing conservation

    OUTCOME:

    The Grace Lease Property will continue to enhance Lancaster County's share
    of the community's  most  revered natural resource, the Susquehanna River.
    Redevelopment planning began on December 22, 2005, and to date 25.3 acres of
    open space has been created in Manor Township.  Thus far, Lancaster County Conservancy has blazed a trail to reintegrate
    the property into the community by linking the small parking lot on the property as an active extension to the popular
    Turkey Hill hiking trail. Future amenities include creating picnic grounds and a scenic overlook of the Susquehanna River
    Corridor to protect and manage natural resources and wildlife habitat. Some species have already begun to see progress.
    The reemergence of the bald eagle symbolizes the property's strong recovery through county-wide initiatives to preserve
    woodlands and open space. As an untapped open space resource, the formerly desolate Grace Lease Property will  soon
    serve as meeting grounds for migratory birds, wildlife, tourists, and nature lovers alike.
                                                 The Grace Lease Property's scenic overlook of
                                                       the Susquehanna River.
   FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 3 at (21 5) 814-3129

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