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             Indian Colony Transforms
             Idle Property  into  a
             Community Benefit
   T
    A I*
                                 Reno,  Nevada
    . he Reno-Sparks Indian Colony (RSIC) is a federally recognized
Indian Tribe composed of more than 1,000 members throughout its
2,000 acres of Tribal land in and within proximity to Reno, Nevada.
The Colony seeks to both preserve its culture and expand its economic
development in an ever demanding world. In order to meet this need, it
has developed more than 80 acres in Reno and Washoe County that it
now leases to commercial tenants and on which the Colony's Economic
Development Department constructed a $20 million Tribal Health
Center, which services more than 9,000 Native Americans in the Washoe
County area.

Looking to increase its revenue base and improve the quality of life in
the neighborhood, the RSIC began assembling a dozen under-utilized
industrial parcels in 1992 with the goal of creating more compatible land
uses and economic development by leasing the combined property to a
big-box retailer. Most of the previous landowners were not willing to
sell at the same time. While most of the parcels were acquired between
1994 and 1995, the final parcels were not acquired until 2000. Taking
ownership of these parcels allowed the RSIC to clean up its surrounding
neighborhood by removing the associated industrial blight. In order to
address contamination on the 22-acre property, the Colony applied for a
loan through the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP).
In November 2007, the NDEP loaned $950,000 to the  RSIC to assist
with cleanup costs at the property. This loan was made possible through
a $2,000,000 EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant
awarded to the NDEP in 2001. This is the first Brownfields loan made to
an Indian community in the western states and the first loan made in the
State of Nevada.

Located in Reno, Nevada, the property is bordered by  an interstate
highway, the Truckee River, and the largest casino-resort in northern
Nevada. Phase I environmental site assessments highlighted the
property's former uses including an automotive repair shop, plant
nursery and other industrial facilities. While not all of the individual
Phase I assessments expressed concern with any recognized
environmental conditions, the Phase I for a former radiator repair
property indicated further investigation was needed. A Phase II
assessment revealed pesticide, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH),
metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, and nitrogen
compounds present in the soil. The RSIC used funds loaned from the
                                                                                                     .
                                                                                                    1
                                                                           Soil remediation underway.
JUST  THE  FACTS:

•  The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony
   partnered with local, state, and
   federal governments to complete
   the remediation of this property for
   redevelopment.

 •  Part of the property cleanup was
   funded by a $950,000 loan from the
   Nevada Division of Environment
   Protection's EPA Brownfields
   Revolving Loan Fund grant.

•  The property will be redeveloped
   as a Wal-Mart Super Center; a
   portion of tax revenues from the
   retailer will be granted to the Nevada
   Department of Corrections and the
   Washoe County  School District.
                                                                               This is the first
                                                                         EPA Brownfields loan made
                                                                         to an Indian community in the
                                                                           western states and the
                                                                            first loan made in the
                                                                              State of Nevada.
                                                      continued

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              NDEP's EPA Brownfields RLF grant to address the petroleum and lead issues, completing the final
              phase of cleanup. Left behind from the former radiator repair shop, approximately 1,000 tons of lead-
              contaminated soil were removed. Since soil TPH levels were low or non-existent on another area of
              the site, the majority of the property that would be redeveloped
              as the parking lot was not remediated. Where soil would be
              disturbed for construction of the building or underground utilities,
              the contaminated soil was removed. This allowed the RSIC to
              pursue a risk-based closure through the NDEP EPA Region
              9's Underground Storage Tank Program assisted the RSIC in
              addressing the site's petroleum contamination. At a cost of $1.2
              million to complete the remediation of the site, EPA, NDEP
              and Washoe County District Health Department issued No
              Further Action/Closure letters in October 2007. A final Report of
              Completion was prepared by Kleinfelder cleanup contractors in
              November 2007                                                   Tribal Chairman ArlanMelendez, Governor
                                                                              Jim Gibbons, and Kleinfelder cleanup contractors
              The property will be redeveloped into Three Nations Plaza, the                celebrate "ew Part"ersh'Ps-
                            future home of a Wal-Mart Super Center. It is
                                 expected to generate much needed jobs and revenue for the community. The project
                                     will produce about $5-6  million in tax revenues a year, which will be used to
                                       repay the bonds for the new Tribal Health Center, fund a new restitution
                                         center and enhance essential government services such as public safety,
                                            education, human services, and community development. The RSIC
                                             will also use revenue from this project to help finance the newly
                                             constructed 65,000-square-foot Tribal Health Center, which serves
                                              more than 9,000 urban Native Americans living in the region.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
U.S. EPA REGION 9
(415)972-3092
          Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
          www.epa.gov/brownfields/                   As part of the revenue sharing agreement with the State of Nevada,
                                              a portion of the tax revenues will be used to support the local
                                              school district, where many members of the RSIC receive their
                                             education, and construct a new State Restitution Center. The current
                                           restitution center, which serves as a prison transition center for low-
                                          risk, non-violent criminals is located adjacent to the new Wal-Mart site.
                                        The RSIC will use the tax revenues to build a new $8 million Northern
                                     Nevada Restitution Center for the Department of Corrections on the RSIC
               land near the current site. The new restitution center is expected to be completed by 2011 and will be
               the first center in the state to provide transitional services to women. The old restitution center will be
               redeveloped as a commercial and retail center for the RSIC members and citizens of Reno. Additionally,
               the Wal-Mart revenues will be used to support essential government services provided by the RSIC as
               well as assist with several other redevelopment projects planned by the RSIC.

               On August 21, 2008, the NDEP and the RSIC held an event to celebrate the cleanup of this property
               and the partnership formed among NDEP, EPA, and local partners. Among the attendees were Tribal
               Chairman Arlan Melendez and Governor Jim Gibbons.

               Wal-Mart, Washoe County, and the RSIC are working to construct a levy and flood wall on adjacent
               properties, which will be the first regional flood control project built along the  Truckee River totaling
               $3.6 million. These flood projects will start in January 2009, and Wal-Mart will break ground on its new
               building in the proceeding 90  days.
Brownfields Success Story
Indian Colony Transforms Idle Property into a Community Benefit
Reno, Nevada
                                                Solid Waste
                                                and Emergency
                                                Response (5105T)
      EPA 560-F-08-314
        November 2008
www. epa.gov/brownfie/ds/

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