United States
                  Environmental
                  Protection Agency
                  Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA 500-F-99-045
May 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
 &EPA   Brownfields  Cleanup
                  Revolving   Loan  Fund  Pilot
                  West Central Municipal Conference,  IL
 Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
                    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
upto $200,000 overtwo 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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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

The West Central Municipal Conference (WCMC) is
a regional council of 38 local governments located in
suburban west Cook County, Illinois. A population of
more than 520,000 reside in an area of approximately
200 square miles.  The mission of the WCMC is to
pool resources from its member communities and to
develop innovative and progressive solutions to their
common problems.  WCMC has committed a
significant portion of its resources to solving
environmental and economic development problems
on a regional basis.

The 38 WCMC communities are mature suburbs,
adjacent to the core urban Chicago  area.  These
communities have experienced a steady outflow of
jobs and population to greenfield areas in the outlying
counties. The legacy of this persistent "job flight" has
been the abandonment or underuse of medium- to
large-sized industrial sites.  Most of these properties
present additional  problems to the  communities
because of real or perceived contamination associated
with the properties.
 PILOTSNAPSHOT
   West Central Municipal
   Conference, Illinois
                       Date of Award:
                       September 1997

                       Amount: $350,000

                       BCRLF Target Area :
                       Brownfields in  the 38
                       communities of the West
                       Central Municipal Conference.
 Contacts:

 West Central
 Municipal Conference
 (708) 450-0100
 Regional Brownfields Team
 U.S. EPA - Region 5
 (312)886-7576
      Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
         http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

    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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BCRLFOBJECTIVES

The WCMC plans to use its BCRLF Pilot funding to
make loans to return the area's brownfields sites to
productive use and revitalize its member communities.
By funding the cleanup and redevelopment of local
brownfields, the WCMC hopes to retain or create
new jobs, leverage funds for future loans, increase
property  sales, and increase income  tax revenues.
The WCMC will make loans throughout its member
communities.

FUNDSTRUCTUREANDOPERATIONS

The WCMC will serve as the Lead Agency.  The
West  Cook Community Development Corporation
(CDC) will serve as the Fund Manager.

The borrower will be required to make  a financial
commitment in the form of a loan origination and
application fee to cover administrative expenses. The
repayment schedule must commit all income generated
from the sale of the cleaned-up property to repay the
loan prior to repayment of all other debts. Loan terms
will not exceed ten years. The CDC will  draft other
parameters and obj ectives for the loans in cooperation
with participating lenders.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, andallCERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLF funds.
 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
 May 1999
West Central Municipal Conference, Illinois
                 EPA500-F-99-045

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