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 Brownfields  2005
  Grant  Fact Sheet
     Blue Springs,  MO
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 Blue Springs was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant.  The population of Blue
Springs is 49,398, which is an increase of almost 40,000
residents since 1970. Blue Springs has become a
highly desirable commuter suburb  of Kansas City and
exhibits many characteristics typical of suburbs,
including a predominance of single-family neighbor-
hoods, commercial operations fronting major highways,
and very few commercial services centering on
neighborhoods. It has fallen behind neighboring com-
munities in the development, redevelopment, and
retention of retail, office, and industrial businesses.
The downtown area and commercial corridor along
Highway 7 and Highway 40 have many abandoned and
                                                                      V.
  Assessment Grant
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 12005/1
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   $200,000 for petroleum
   EPA has selected the City of Blue Springs for a
   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
   used to conduct approximately 20 Phase I and six
   Phase II site assessments, and develop cleanup
   plans for several sites in the downtown area and
   commercial corridor. Funds also will be used for
   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 7 Brownfields Team
  913-551-7646
  http://www.epa.gov/Region7/citizens/brownfields/
  index.htm
  Grant Recipient: City of Blue Springs, MO
  816-228-0207
  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
poorly maintained brownfields sites. Redevelopment of
the many industrial areas within the city is vital to meet
the ongoing growth needs. Brownfields revitalization in
the downtown and highway areas will jumpstart
redevelopment in these key corridors, and the growth
of the city.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-05-203
                        May 2005
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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