&EPA
                   United States
                   Environmental
                   Protection Agency
                   Washington, D.C. 20460
                           Solid Waste
                           and Emergency
                           Response (5101)
      EPA500-F-98-182
      July 1998
                                 Assessment
Demonstration   Pilot
                               Ulster County,  NY
  Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
                                            Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse.  Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations  of
brownfields solutions. The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, States, Tribes, municipalities, and communities with
useful  information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site
assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND

EPA has selected Ulster County for a Brownfields
Pilot.  The Pilot targets the Mid-Hudson Valley,
which lies directly north of the New York metropolitan
area. The Valley encompasses Ulster, Orange, and
Dutchess Counties, and includes the Cities of Beacon,
Newburgh, Middletown, Kingston, Port Jervis, and
Poughkeepsie.  This region has suffered from the loss
of industry,  aging  infrastructure, deteriorated
downtown areas, and eroding financial bases. These
trends have been exacerbated by the reduction  of
13,000 workers by a single employer. Although the
region has adapted by creating jobs in the goods-
producing  sectors,  many  properties  with
redevelopment potential, especially in the cities,
remain underused or abandoned due to potential
contamination  and unknown financial liabilities.
There has been an increase in the number of companies
looking to expand in the region, especially from the
New York City area, and demand for industrial sites
currently exceeds the supply.

OBJECTIVES

The Pilot's objective is to facilitate brownfields
redevelopment through the formation of a regional
public/private partnership, the Mid-Hudson Valley
Brownfield Partnership (MHVBP). The MHVBP
                             PILOT SNAPSHOT
                                                Date of Announcement:
                                                July 1998

                                                Amount: $200,000

                                                Profile: The Pilot targets
                                                the Mid-Hudson Valley,
                                                which lies north of the
                                                New York metropolitan
                                                area.
                            Ulster County, New York
                           Contacts:

                           Mid-Hudson Pattern
                           for Progress
                           (914)565-4900
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 2
(212)637-4314
                               Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
                              http://www.epa.gov/i02earth/superfnd/brownfld/
                                         bfmainpg.htm

                             For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
                           additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
                            publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
                                  http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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will be a centralized forum through which owners
and developers can obtain technical information and
assistance.   In  addition, the MHVBP  plans  to
streamline review and approval processes and provide
training and skills for community members. Pilot
funding will be  used to develop  a  brownfields
inventory, conduct site assessments, and develop a
regional model for brownfields redevelopment.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Establishing a regional clearinghouse to provide
  technical assistance and additional resources for
  potential developers and property owners;

• Developing ageographic information system-based
  inventory of brownfields sites and  a Project
  Redevelopment  Site  Survey which prioritizes
  properties based on redevelopment potential;

• Conducting model  Phase I and II  environmental
  assessments on, and developing cleanup plans for,
  one or two strategic sites;

• Conducting four to  six public  meetings and
  workshops  to  inform affected brownfields
  communities about project activities and to solicit
  input; and

• Identifying other incentives or sources of funding
  available for site assessments or cleanup.

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot                                            Ulster County, New York
July 1998                                                                           EPA 500-F-98-182

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