3) Q \ IU 0 Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet Manistee, Ml 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, 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 Manistee was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Manistee (population 6,600), the economic and government center of the county, has a history of thriving industrial and maritime activity going back to the 1870s. Beginning in the 1970s, with the decline in the industrial and maritime sectors, the city began losing manufacturing jobs and was left with large abandoned industrial buildings, blighted and unattractive shorelines, and properties of questionable environmental integrity. The shores of the Manistee River and Manistee Lake were lined with chemical production and heavy manufacturing facili- ties. Many of the former industrial and commercial sites are in old neighborhoods that have concentrations Assessment Grant r $195,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the City of Manistee for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to inventory brownfields throughout the city; perform Phase I, Phase II, and baseline environ- mental site assessments; and develop a master plan and site-specific plans for selected properties in a part of the city with high concentrations of brownfields. Funds also will be used to implement 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 5 Brownfields Team 312-886-7576 http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/ Grant Recipient: City of Manistee, MI 231-723-2558 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. of low-income housing. The unemployment rate in Manistee is nearly 12 percent, and the median house- hold income is only two-thirds of the state average. Assessment of the city's brownfields sites will help lower the risk of contamination leaching into area waterways, and, by addressing the concerns associated with these properties, help create redevelopment potential in the downtown targeted areas along the river and lake. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-05-097 May 2005 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |