u o Assessment Pi Borough ofAmbridge, PA BACKGROUND EPA has selected the Borough of Ambridge for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. The Borough of Ambridge and Harmony Township (population 11,132) are located on the eastern bank of the Ohio River in southwestern Pennsylvania, about 15 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. This historically industrial area once was home to seven major steel mills and numerous supporting industries and commercial properties. In the late 1970s, the steel mills began to close. Mill properties were sold, subdivided, and mothballed, and the number ofjobs in the areaplummeted from 15,000to 1,508 today. Approximately 20percentof borough residents live below the poverty level. While one of the area's two major industrial corridors has been successfully redeveloped, about 64 percent of the industrial land in the Borough ofAmbridge and Harmony Township lies along the 2.5 mile corridor between State Route 65 andDuss Avenue, whichruns through the middle of the two communities. This corridor includes a mix of active small industrial properties, idle brownfields, and underused industrial properties. The borough estimates that approximately 262 acres of the corridor may be considered brownfields. OBJECTIVES The borough's obj ective is to encourage redevelopment of brownfields in an historic district that has been negatively impacted by the declining industrial economy. The Pilot will accomplish this obj ective by prioritizing brownfields sites for assessment and performing Phase I and II site assessments on these sites. The Pilot will also conduct community outreach using Pilot funds. The targeted brownfields are industrial sites closest to the historic district along the State Route 65/Duss Avenue corridor. PILOT SNAPSHOT Borough ofAmbridge, Pennsylvania Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets brownfields near an historic district for environmental site assessment activities that will encourageredevelopmentofthe districtandsurrounding industrial property. Contacts: Borough of Ambridge (727)266-4070 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA Region 3 (215)814-3129 Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm For furtherinformation, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Prioritizing sites for Phase I and II environmental site assessment activities; ------- • Conducting Phase II environmental site assessments at the highest priority sites; • Conducting a Phase III environmental site assessment on at least one site; and • Continuing community outreach activities by sponsoring public discussions and informal meetings. The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has notyetbeen negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-039 and Emergency May 2002 Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- |