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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Sayre, PA
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 Borough of Sayre was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Sayre, with a population
of approximately 5,800 citizens, is located in northeast-
ern Pennsylvania near the New York state border. The
Borough, at one point, was the headquarters for the
Lehigh Valley Railroad. By the late 1880s, much of the
railroad's operations were in place to take advantage
of anthracite coal shipping activities in the region. The
rail yard had facilities for the manufacturing and
reconditioning of locomotives, freight cars, and ca-
booses. At its peak, 5,000 workers were located in
Sayre. Rail yard operations produced a number of
waste streams, many of which were released or
disposed of on site. The now closed rail yard is located
Assessment Grant (20051
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Borough of Sayre for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to conduct
community involvement activities, perform
environmental site assessments, and develop a
remediation plan for the former 25-acre Sayre
Railyards site located on North Thomas Avenue.
Previous assessments have found evidence of
heavy metals, petroleum compounds, and solvents
in the site soils and groundwater. Contaminants
from the rail yard site have migrated, impacting
the groundwater on neighboring properties.
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 3 Brownfields Team
215-814-3129
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm
Grant Recipient: Borough of Sayre, PA
570-265-0937
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
next to a very low income/high poverty area of the
community. Its dilapidated condition and known
chemical contamination present both an eyesore and a
potential health threat to nearby residences. Assess-
ment and cleanup of this site will reduce the potential
health threat and allow for the redevelopment of the
property as an integral component of the borough's
industrial zone, thereby encouraging new investment,
tax base expansion, and job development.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-044
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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