5
              o
                            T>

  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

           Brewer,  ME


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders 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 Brewer was selected to receive a
brownfields revolving loan fund grant.  Located in
southern Maine, Brewer (population 8,951) is evolving
from manufacturing to a more sustainable technology
and retail base. For 90 years, Brewer was a mill-based
community with local businesses built around the
Eastern Fine Paper Mill on the Penobscot River
waterfront. This mill, the city's largest employer and
taxpayer, supported numerous smaller industries in the
area. Since the mill closed, businesses in the area also
closed, and 18 percent of residents in the area sur-
rounding the mill live below the poverty level. The
deterioration of the mill buildings has driven down
adjacent home values, perpetuated a spiral of disrepair,
and contributed to the creation of additional
brownfields. Among the other 20 brownfields in the
  Revolving Loan Fund
  Grant
  $1,000,000 for hazardous substances

  EPA has selected the City of Brewer for a
  brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
  will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund
  from which the City of Brewer will provide loans
  and subgrants to support cleanup activities for
  sites contaminated with  hazardous substances
  throughout the City of Brewer. Grant funds also
  will be used to conduct 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 1 Brownfields Team
  617-918-1424
  http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: City of Brewer, ME
  207-989-7500

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
area are machine shops, a former automobile and
battery recycler, a boat yard and boat maintenance
facility, and several former bulk petroleum storage
facilities. When brownfields are revitalized, they will be
used for a waterfront trail, and high-tech, cultural, and
retail purposes. Brownfields redevelopment is expected
to create greenspace, reduce health risks, diversify the
city's employers, add to the tax base, and serve as a
catalyst to reverse the increasing trend of slum and
blight in Brewer.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                          EPA560-F-06-014
                          May 2006
                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

-------