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  Brownfields  2005
  Grant  Fact Sheet
        Somerville,  MA
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 City of Somerville was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. This suburb of Boston,
with 77,500 residents on 4.2 square miles of land, is
one of the most densely populated areas in New
England. Approximately 35 percent of its residents
speak a language at home other than English, and 12.5
percent live in poverty. In addition to strictly industrial/
commercial areas, the community originally was
developed in a pattern in which industrial enterprises
were  surrounded by  worker residences. As  these
enterprises have closed, they have left blighted neigh-
borhoods as well as abandoned commercial areas.
Somerville has an ongoing brownfields redevelopment
program and has used previous grant money to identify
                      Assessment Grant
                                                      A2005
                       $200,000 for hazardous substances
                       EPA has selected the City of Somerville for a
                       brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
                       stances grant funds will be used for conducting
                       Phase I and Phase II site assessments, and
                       developing remedial alternatives and cost esti-
                       mates on parcels identified by the site selection
                       program.
                       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 1 Brownfields Team
                      617-918-1221
                      http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

                      Grant Recipient: City of Somerville, MA
                      617-625-6600, ext. 2500

                      The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
                      yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
                      in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                    approximately 376 contaminated properties.
                    Brownfields redevelopment will increase the city's tax
                    base, address environmental justice issues, and make
                    the city more attractive to workers and residents.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                                            EPA560-F-05-018
                                            May 2005
                                            www.epa.gov/brownfields

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