2004 Demonstration Project
Arlington Blending & Packaging:
Arlington, Tennessee
THE  SITE:  The  2.3-acre Arlington Blending & Packaging site in
the town of Arlington, Tennessee was once  home to a pesticide
formulation and packaging facility. During its seven-year operation,
pesticide spills and leaks at the facility gradually led to soil, sediment,
and ground water contamination. In 1996, cleanup activities included
excavation, stockpiling, treatment, and backfilling of over 41,000 tons
of contaminated soil over most of the site; today the site is revegetated
and in use as a neighborhood park. Use of ground water is prohibited
by Shelby County well rules and regulations; however, monitoring
continues to ensure that any lingering contaminants in the ground
water do not pose a threat to human health and the environment.

THE OPPORTUNITY: Though the site was cleaned  up,  the Arlington
Blending  & Packaging  site  remained vacant  for many years after
cleanup activities  concluded. For years, neighbors and passersby were
barred entrance to the site—the open space was idle in an area where a
neighborhood park would have been welcomed and  appreciated.

THE BARRIER: As part of the Return to Use Initiative, EPA worked with
local stakeholders to determine  what was  preventing  the site from
returning  to use. Together, they concluded that the stigma associated
with the property as a Superfund site was the site's primary barrier to
reuse.

THE SOLUTION:  In order to combat the negative  associations with
the site's  Superfund history, EPA worked with local stakeholders to
create documents that would inform the Arlington community of the
site's status. In July 2004, EPA issued a Comfort Letter to the Town of
Arlington, detailing the liability statutes that would protect the Town's
interests when it took ownership of the property because of unpaid
back taxes. To further reassure Arlington residents of the site's safety,
EPA declared the  site ready for recreational use in a Ready for Reuse
(RfR) Determination. This RfR Determination, the first in  Region 4, was
signed on October 16,2004.

THE PARK:  EPA Region 4 agreed to work with the Town of Arlington
as town  officials  developed  remedy-friendly  schematics  for  a
                                  Barriers:
                                  Superfund site stigma; liability
                                  concerns

                                  Solution:
                                  EPA issued a comfort letter to
                                  address liability issues and an RfR
                                  Determination to address stigma
                                  Before:
                                  Cleaned up pesticide facility; 2.3-
                                  acre vacant grass field

                                  After:
                                  Neighborhood park that is
                                  accessible to all Arlington
                                  residents
           urmea btates
           Environmental Protection
           Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiativ
                                                                            updated August 2009

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neighborhood park at the 2.3-acre site. This park, accessible to all residents of the surrounding residential
communities, includes a playground,field space, walking and biking trails, exercise stations, and a half-court
basketball court. EPA participation in the park planning process ensured that construction activities to install
playground equipment and other features did not affect the site's remedy in any way. On February 25,2005,
Helena Chemical Company donated an adjacent 0.6-acre parcel to the Town of Arlington, increasing the size
of the park by 30 percent. With a clear title to the land, the Town of Arlington secured a $300,000 community
development block grant to fund construction of the park at the site. In October 2006,the collaborative efforts
of EPA and the Arlington community came to fruition and the new Mary Alice Park was officially opened to the
public with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

FOR MORE INFORMATION,CONTACT: Bill Denman,Region 4 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator at (404)
562-8939 or den    i.bill@epa.gov.
                                  IS EL REMAINS ABOVE GROUND AS UEM«
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                                   REGULARLY™ n AI EFFORT 10 ENIEI
                                       COMMUNITY'S CONIIED SAFEIY
                                           ANDWELLBE1.
                A ground water monitoring well at the new Mary Alice Park
            urmea btates
            Environmental Protection
            Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiativ
                                                                                 updated August 2009

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