u o Assessment Broome County, NY BACKGROUND EPA has selected Broome County for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Broome County (population 200,5 3 6) is located in south central New York. The county has identified 83 brownfields that occupy over 1,800 acres as potential targets for this Pilot. These brownfields include former dry cleaning facilities, metal forging plants, high- technology manufacturing facilities, pesticide storage areas, and dump sites. The underutilized or abandoned facilities have deteriorated, causing disinvestment by neighboring property owners. The county has a long history of industrial development that is concentrated in the City of Binghamton and the Town of Union, the county' s largest urban areas. However, changes in manufacturing methods have led to industrial downsizing and some facility closures. The county was particularly hard hit by defense downsizing and the loss of several thousand IBM jobs during the last decade. Population has decreased by nearly 10 percent over the last 30 years. Manufacturing employmenthas declined 40 percent since 1985, and since 1989, poverty rates have increased by 31 percent. The declining population and rising poverty rates are most pronounced in the urban core of the county. These blighted urban areas also have the greatest concentration of minority residents: more than 81 percent of the county's African-American population lives in Binghamton or Union. OBJECTIVES The county's objective is to revitalize communities by redeveloping brownfields, thereby encouraging reinvestment in blighted neighborhoods. To accomplish this obj ective, the Pilot plans to develop a tool for county planners that can be used to address environmentally contaminated sites while conducting the Binghamton Metropolitan Transportation Study (Gateway Study) and PILOT SNAPSHOT Broome County, New York Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $200,000 Profile:The Pilot targets underused or abandoned facilities that have deteriorated, causing disinvestment by neighboring properly ownersand contributing to the area's economicdecline. Contacts: Broome County Department of Planning and Economic Development (607)778-2367 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA Region 2 (212)6374314 Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/brownfields/ 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 during the development of the county's Plan for Sustainable Economic Development. Pilot funds will also be used to conduct environmental site assessments and develop cleanup and reuse plans. ------- ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Continuing to develop and refine screening criteria that will be used to select targeted properties; • Conducting Phase I and II environmental assessments on targeted properties; • Preparing a concept plan and risk-based reuse plan for each site selected for assessment; • Conducting outreach meetings with the owners of targeted sites; • Holding public meetings to inform the public about project activities and solicit input for redevelopment plans; and • Issuing a request for proposals for site characterization and engineering evaluations for the targeted sites. The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-040 and Emergency May 2002 Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- |