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Brownfields  2005
 Grant Fact  Sheet
           E/yr/a,  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 Elyria was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Elyria (population
55,853) typically exceeds the state and national unem-
ployment and poverty rates, and trails behind the state
and nation in median household income. The target
area for assessment, the Black River Corridor, is the
location of numerous underused and abandoned sites,
including junk and salvage yards, marginally used
industrial sites, and storage operations. They pose a
potential threat to human health and to the Black River
watershed. The neighborhoods adjacent to the sites are
typically the poorer neighborhoods in the city. Assess-
ment, cleanup, and redevelopment of the brownfields
sites will help the city resolve the potential threats to
   Assessment Grant
   $200,000 for hazardous substances
   EPA has selected the City of Elyria for a
   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
   used to conduct community outreach activities,
   perform two to four Phase I and two to three
   Phase II environmental site assessments, and
   develop one to two remedial action plans for sites
   adjacent to the Black River Corridor.
   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/R5 Brownfields/
   Grant Recipient: City of Elyria, OH
   440-326-1546

   The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
   yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
   in this fact sheet are subject to  change.
residents and the environment and improve the eco-
nomic viability of the impacted neighborhoods. Recla-
mation of the brownfields properties is expected to
increase greenspace and recreational opportunities that
will attract residents and visitors and act as a catalyst
for the Black River Corridor Redevelopment Plan.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-05-223
                         May 2005
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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