United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-00-159
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
vvEPA
Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Unified Government of Wyandotte County
and Kansas City, KS
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders
in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for
redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two
years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup
of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund
programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup
of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful
information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment,
environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
Kansas City, Kansas is the largest of three incorporated
municipalities in Wyandotte County. Over the past 30
years, the City has experienced a decline in population
and an erosion of its business base. In 1996, the
governmental bodies unified to combat these problems.
The new institutional structure is referred to as the
Unified Government (UG).
Economic distress is prevalent throughout Wyandotte
County. It is most evident in the northeast section of
Kansas City. The poverty rate in this area is nearly 30
percent, significantly higher than the 18 percent rate in
the City as a whole. UG's BCRLF will target the
northeast community and other Federal Enhanced
Enterprise Community districts as well as properties
throughout the City and Wyandotte County. The cities
of Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri were
designated abi-state Brownfields Assessment Pilot and
a Federal Showcase Community.
BCRLF OBJECTIVES
The goals and objectives of UG's BCRLF include:
• Creating jobs and expanding the tax base,
especially in environmental justice communities;
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Unified Government of
Wyandotte County and
Kansas City, Kansas
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $500,000
BCRLF Target Area:
Northeast community and
other Enhanced Enterprise
Community districts
Contacts:
Unified Government
Department of Development
(913)573-5730
Region 7 BCRLF
Coordinator
(913)551-7786
Visit the EPA Region 7 Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/region07/waste/brown/index.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
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• Preventing the creation of new brownfields and
preserving green space;
• Creating business development opportunities for
local entrepreneurs; and
• Developing a nationally replicable model for a
BCRLF loan pool.
The BCRLF is targeting the following sites: the Parallel
Parkway Improvement Corridor; National Compressed
Steel; S&G Metals; other industrial sites; and the
Riverfront Heritage Trail bicycle/pedestrian pathways.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The UG will serve as lead agency and the US Army
Corps of Engineers Kansas City District will act as site
manager. The UG's Department of Development will
perform the fund manager functions.
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
To leverage the BCRLF award, the UG intends to apply
to the Kansas Clean Water State Revolving Fund
(CWSRF) for up to $ 1 million of additional seed capital
in the form of a loan from the CWSRF. The UG also
is pursuing leveraging funds under the Fannie Mae
Kansas City Partnership program, the US Department
of Housing and Urban Development programs, and
funding from the Kansas City, Kansas Lender's
Consortium. The UG will contribute staff time to the
Pilot and will coordinate the BCRLF program with its
Showcase Community and Job Training and
Development Pilots.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas
May 2000 EPA 500-F-00-159
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