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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Minneapolis Park and
Recreation Board, MN
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 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The
City of Minneapolis (population 2,741,000) is a feder-
ally designated Empowerment Zone and Enterprise
Community. More than 40 percent of Minneapolis
residents are minority or multiethnic. The two target
communities, Northeast and University, abut the B.F.
Nelson cleanup site and exhibit similar growth trends.
These communities have higher rates of unemployment
and larger senior populations than the city. More than
35 percent of the University community lives in
poverty. The B.F. Nelson site is in the riverfront
district, which has been particularly hard hit by the
legacy of brownfields. It sits on the east bank of the
Mississippi River within the Minneapolis Central
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Minneapolis Park and
Recreation Board for a brownfields cleanup
grant. Grant funds will be used to implement a
response action plan, including placing clean fill
over contaminated areas of the B.F. Nelson park
site, an undeveloped 12-acre property located
near downtown Minneapolis on the east bank of
the Mississippi River. A previous Phase II envi-
ronmental site assessment revealed the presence
of semi- volatile organic compounds, polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals.
Between 1871 and 1973, the site was used for
lumber milling, and the manufacturing of paper
boxes, paint, tar paper, shingles, and saturated felt.
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: Minneapolis Park and Recreation
Board, MN
612-230-6470
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Riverfront Regional Park. Most of the adjacent park
areas are partially or fully developed. The B.F. Nelson
site is a pivotally-located parcel in the park that, once
cleaned up, will be restored to parkland with native
plant communities. This ecological restoration will
minimize environmental pollution, help improve water
quality by controlling erosion, and provide a wildlife
habitat along the river corridor.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-05-191
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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