HI
                           C3
  Brownfields 2004

  Grant  Fact Sheet

       Laurinburg, NC




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, the President
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. Additionally, funding
support is provided to state and tribal response pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Laurinburg (population 15,874) was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Over
the past few years, Laurinburg has been losing its
manufacturing base as plants have closed or moved
overseas. About 43 percent of the city's population is
minority, and the city's poverty rate is about 20 per-
cent.  The former Scotland Memorial Hospital blights a
residential downtown neighborhood where it has been
closed and vacant for more than 20 years. The city
plans to eliminate environmental concerns about the
property so that it  can be redeveloped in cooperation
with the Richmond Community College into a regional
vocational training facility with a public park and
greenspace.
Cleanup Grant
$100,000 for hazardous substances
$100,000 for petroleum

EPA has selected the City of Laurinburg for a
brownfields cleanup grant. The cleanup grant will
be used to clean up petroleum and hazardous
substances contamination on the 5.3-acre former
Scotland Memorial Hospital site. A site investiga-
tion carried out under a brownfields assessment
grant revealed three areas of concern: a former
underground storage tank area with two 15,000-
gallon tanks that were used for fuel oil and one of
unknown size that held diesel, combustion-related
contaminants around the former incinerator, and
asbestos within the hospital building itself.
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
404-562-8493
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Laurinburg, NC
910-276-8257

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                      EPA560-F-04-143
                      June 2004
                      www.epa.gov/brownfields

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