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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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