u o Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Escambia County, FL BACKGROUND EPA awarded Escambia County supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Located in the far western corner of Florida's panhandle, Escambia County has a geographical area of 661 square miles. Palafox Corridor, the gateway to the City of Pensacola (population 4,400), is the targeted Pilot community. The areais characterized by old houses, solid waste transfer stations, and unused railroad spurs. The city' s economy, whichis dependant onbusiness generated from military installations, has suffered economically from industrial and military reshuffling. Twenty-seven per cent of the city's residents have annual incomes of less than $10,000. The combination of low-income employment, lay-offs in older industries, and contamination at former industrial sites has set the stage for much needed economic, environmental, and social redevelopment in Pensacola. The Palafox Corridor Brownfield Redevelopment Area encompasses approximately 427 properties and includes 228 vacant acres. The boundaries of the Corridor were expanded in 2001 to include the sites of the former Town and County shopping mall and the former Builder's Square building supply company. The county's long-term goal is to redevelop the Palafox Corridor into a commercial, light industrial, or eco-commercial center. OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES The Pilot will use the supplemental assistance to continue to address environmental issues by conducting additional assessments in the brownfield area and encouraging reinvestment and redevelopment. The original EPA Pilot completed assessments at five sites in the target area. The county will use the supplemental funds to conduct Phase I and Phase II site assessments on the Town and County shopping mall and the Builder's Square building. A seven- acre, former auto junkyard also is targeted for assessment and redevelopment as a transit facility. Another major goal PILOT SNAPSHOT Escambia County, Florida Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $150,000 Profile: The Pilot will target three additional sites within the Palafox Corridor Brownfield Redevelopment Area, which has suffered economicallyfrom industrialandmilitary reshuffling. Contacts: Escambia County Neighborhood and Environmental Services Department (850)595-3496 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA Region 4 (404)562-8661 Visit the E PA Region 4 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm Forfurtherinformation,includingspecific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields of the supplemental project will be to encourage redevelopment and reinvestment by increasing awareness of the program in Escambia County. Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Identifying and prioritizing additional sites for assessment; • Developing site-specific quality assurance plans; ------- • Conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments on three sites; • Increasing awareness of the county's brownfields program through outreach and community involvement activities; and • Evaluating site cleanup and reuse options and exploring models for redevelopment. ThecooperativeagreementforthisPilothasnotyetbeennegotiated;therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-089 and Emergency May 2002 Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- |