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                            O
Brownfields  2005
 Grant  Fact  Sheet
       Cleveland, OH
EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George
W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Cleveland was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Cleveland (population
485,793) is a federally designated Empowerment Zone.
The area targeted for assessment is the Lower Big
Creek Valley and the adjacent neighborhoods of
Brooklyn Centre and Old Brooklyn. The valley includes
two miles of Big Creek, a major tributary of the
Cuyahoga River. Seventy-five percent of the valley
floor is occupied by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and
Brookside Park facilities. The balance of the valley is
heavily industrialized with properties used for auto
salvage and junk yards, railroad lines, container and
truck storage, and landfills. Potentially 100 to 150 acres
of the valley floor and adjacent land qualify as
                                   ^r
  Assessment Grant
   $200,000 for hazardous substances
  EPA has selected the City of Cleveland for a
  brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
  used to conduct approximately ten Phase I and
  three Phase II environmental site assessments of
  properties in the Lower Big Creek Valley. Grant
  funds also will be used to support community
  outreach activities.
   Contacts
  For further information, including specific grant
  contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
  news and events, and publications and links, visit
  the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
  brownfields.

  EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
  312-886-7576
  http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: City of Cleveland, OH
  216-664-2812

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
brownfields. The area's residential neighborhoods have
high unemployment, poverty, and vacancy rates.
Twenty-five percent of Brooklyn Centre residents live
in poverty, and nearly 11 percent are unemployed.
Assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of
brownfields sites will open up new recreational and
employment opportunities for local residents. Revital-
ization plans call for linking the zoo and its visitors with
the 110-mile Ohio Canal Towpath. The project is
expected to capture revenues totaling $2.7 million from
visitor activities. Restoring the valley also is expected
to lead to the development of new retail services and
amenities.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-05-054
                         May 2005
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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