United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA500-F-99-095 May 1999 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ >>EPA Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Wheeling, WV 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 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 forthe 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 City ofWheeling, once an industrial and economic force, has lostnearly half of its population due to aloss of industry. As a result of this economic downtrend, abandoned and underutilized contaminated properties flourished throughout the city. The location of these contaminated sites compromised surrounding property values and created unemployment, blighted conditions, and aided in the decline of investments and taxes. Wheeling believes that redevelopment reverses these trends, by diversifying and strengthening the local economy and tax base. BCRLF OBJECTIVES Wheeling anticipates that capitalization of a BCRLF will allow the City to offer a critical tool to address a substantial impediment to economic and community revitalization. Wheeling's BCRLF pilot seeks to: • Make loans to eligible parties to cleanup and redevelop contaminated properties; • Manage a loan portfolio that perpetuates itself for sustainable redevelopment; PILOT SNAPSHOT Wheeling, West Virginia Date of Announcement: May 25,1999 Amount: $500,000 BCRLF Target Area: The City of Wheeling, focusing on sites within 5 census tracts made up of disadvantaged populations Contacts: Economic Development Coordinator, City ofWheeling Economic and Community Development Department (304) 234-3877 Region 3 Brownfields Coordinator (215) 814-3129 Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/hmpage1.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/ ------- • Integrate the BCRLF with the Brownfields Assessment Pilot; and • Leverage other investments. Potential sites include those that have participated in the Brownfields Assessment Pilot, as well as other sites throughout the City of Wheeling. FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS The City of Wheeling will serve as lead agency and fund manager. The US Army Corps of Engineers and/ or the West Virginia Office of Environmental Remediation will assist the pilot in carrying out its site management responsibilities. Loan amounts are anticipated to be in the range of $50,000 to $150,000. LEVERAGING The City of Wheeling's Economic and Community DevelopmentDepartmentwill provide in-kind services forvarious administrative functions. Otherprograms that will complementthe BCRLF include the Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund program, HUD Entitlement Community funds, Federal Community Development Block Grant funds, the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program, and local bank investments in compliance with Community Reinvestment Act regulations. 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 Wheeling, West Virginia May 1999 EPA 500-F-99-095 ------- |