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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

             Tiffin,  OH


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 Tiffin was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in northwest-
ern Ohio along the Sandusky River, Tiffin (population
18,604) is the county seat of Seneca County.  Once a
key stop in the area's rail transportation network, the
decline of rail shipping and lack of major highways
through the area have resulted in the loss of many
major employers. A  series of manufacturing facility
closings began in the 1980s, including the closing of
the Tiffin Glass Factory in 1984. In 2002, the city lost
its flagship manufacturing facility, National Machin-
ery. Closings and downsizing left derelict and poten-
tially contaminated properties throughout the city. The
community's population declined with every census
since 1980. Assessment funding will enable the city to
identify priority brownfields and determine the extent
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the City of Tiffin for two
 brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
 substances grant funds will be used to conduct
 community outreach, identify and prioritize
 brownfields, and conduct up to five Phase I and
 up to two Phase II environmental site assess-
 ments. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
 perform the same tasks at sites with potential
 petroleum contamination.
 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/R5Brownfields/

 Grant Recipient: City of Tiffin, OH
 419-447-4141

 The information presented in this fact sheet comes
 from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
 accuracy of this information. The cooperative
 agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti-
 ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact
 sheet are subject to change.
of contamination at these sites. This will help the city
leverage cleanup and redevelopment funding from
public and private sources. Returning the city's
brownfields to productive use will expand the local tax
base, reduce pollution in the Sandusky River, and
preserve greenspace.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-07-175
                         May 2007
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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