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  Brownfields 2006

  Grant Fact Sheet

          Lake  Worth

           Community

      Redevelopment

          Agency,  FL


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 Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency
was selected to receive a brownfields assessment
grant. Lake Worth (population 35,574) is a medium-
sized city in Palm  Beach County distinguished by its
diverse population. Nearly 30 percent of city residents
are Hispanic/Latino in a county that is 12.5 percent
Hispanic. Almost 36 percent of the population is
foreign-born. Twenty percent of Lake Worth residents
live below the poverty level, and approximately ten
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for petroleum
 EPA has selected the Lake Worth Community
 Redevelopment Agency for a brownfields assess-
 ment grant. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
 conduct community outreach activities, develop a
 quality management plan, update the city's
 inventory of sites, perform Phase I and II environ-
 mental site assessments, and develop cleanup
 plans for properties in the Lake Worth Redevel-
 opment area.
 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 4 Brownfields Team
 404-562-8866
 http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm
 Grant Recipient: Lake Worth Community
 Redevelopment Agency, FL
 561-586-1643
 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
percent are unemployed. The city's redevelopment
target area covers 518 acres, or 13 percent of city's
land area. Lake Worth has already identified 37 poten-
tial hazardous waste sites and 86 potential petroleum
sites within the target area. In addition, there are
several commercial and industrial facilities in the
center of the target area that are inconsistent with the
city's redevelopment objectives and may pose environ-
mental problems. These potentially contaminated and
underutilized sites lower real estate values and brand
the neighborhood as a run-down, poor, deteriorated,
and high-crime area. The city believes that redevelop-
ment of this blighted area will help establish environ-
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-06-072
                        May 2006
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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mental justice, encourage private sector investment.
raise real estate values, discourage urban sprawl, and
reduce crime in the community.

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