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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

             Alma,  Ml


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders 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 Alma was selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. Located in rural central Michigan, Alma
(population 9,275) has a history that includes a thriving
lumber industry, agricultural economy, and industrial
manufacturing that has deteriorated over time. The
city's poverty rate is 11.5 percent, and the unemploy-
ment rate is 8.7 percent. The social, economic, and
health problems associated with disinvestment trends
are amplified by a concentration of low-income hous-
ing adjacent to existing or former industrial operations.
When brownfields are cleaned up, they will be part of a
development of retail, office, and residential facilities
organized around a series of waterfront plazas and
parks. The development will connect to a Rails to
Trails project. Brownfields redevelopment will expand
the tax base, promote private investment, create  jobs,
and increase property values.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Alma for a brown-
fields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to clean up the Alma Iron and
Metal property at 115 North State Street, which is
contaminated with volatile and semi-volatile
organic compounds, PCBs, and heavy metals.
The site had been used for lumber and coal
storage and handling, and is now used for scrap
metal storage and processing. Funds will be used
for soil removal, groundwater treatment, and
community involvement activities.
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 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

Grant Recipient: City of Alma, MI
989-463-8336

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-06-209
                        May 2006
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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