Brownfields  2005
 Grant  Fact  Sheet
     Kent County, Ml
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

Kent County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants and two cleanup grants. In 1999,
Kent County (population 590,417) began developing
Millennium Park, a 1,500-acre urban greenway preser-
vation and redevelopment project within four west
Michigan cities, including Grand Rapids. Dating back to
the 1840s, much of the Millennium Park property has
been used for industrial and mining activities. Streams,
wetlands, floodplain, forest, the Hopewell Indian
Mounds, and 119 acres of lakes exist within the park
boundaries alongside land scarred by past industrial,
landfill, and mining operations. While the existence of
contamination on some of these properties has been
confirmed, the extent to which these properties have
                                  v^"^
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 Assessment Grants  \2oo5/|
                                     «•<*
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum
 EPA has selected Kent County for two brownfields
 assessment grants. Grant funds will be used to
 conduct remedial investigation in order to determine
 the extent of hazardous substances and petroleum
 contamination within the Millennium Park
 greenway preservation and redevelopment project.
 To date, Kent County has conducted 44 Phase I
 and II environmental site assessments covering
 1,216 acres of the park.
 Cleanup Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum
 EPA has selected Kent County for two
 brownfields cleanup grants. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to implement the
 remedial action plan at the Grandville Dump site
 at 4050 Indian Mounds Drive. Previous investiga-
 tions have indicated the presence of heavy metals
 and petroleum contamination in soils and chlori-
 nated organic compounds in water. Petroleum
 grant funds will be used for the proper abandon-
 ment of priority oil well casings on the Millennium
 Park site. Petroleum-related oil well casings and
 soil contamination are a result of historical oil
 drilling and temporary storage and transfer of
 crude oil on the site.
 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/
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                       EPA 560-F-05-094
                       May 2005
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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been impacted remains undetermined. Once assess-
ments and cleanups are completed, Millennium Park
will be one of the largest urban parks in the country.
Large areas of the park will be devoted to protecting
habitat for native plants and wildlife, all within walking
or biking distance of four cities. The master plan
includes a variety of educational and recreational
centers, picnic areas, sculptures, a memorial, meadows,
and trails. Preserving greenspace to enhance the
quality of life for county residents is a critical compo-
nent of Kent County's efforts to attract new employers
and investment to the area.
Grant Recipient: Kent County, MI
616-336-2177
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.

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