United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-97-066
May 1997
Regional Brownfields
Assessment Pilot
Prichard, AL
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. Between 1995 and 1996, EPA funded 76 National and Regional Brownfields
Assessment Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields
solutions. EPAis funding morethan 27 Pilots in 1997. The Pilots 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
EPA Region 4 selected the City of Prichard for a
Regional Brownfields Pilot. The City's brownfields
project covers three geographic areas within the City:
East Prichard, Eight Mile, and Whistler communi-
ties. The City has selected six brownfields sites
comprising approximately 86 acres located through-
out the three Prichard communities. A combination
of potential environmental hazards, general deterio-
ration, and the social environment has significantly
slowed development in Prichard. Prichard is the most
economically depressed city in the State and is desig-
nated as an Empowerment Zone (EZ) by the State of
Alabama.
East Prichard is home to approximately 80% of the
City's population of minorities and is experiencing a
deteriorating infrastructure, a high percentage of low
and moderate income households, and a declining
economic base. The Eight Mile community is the
largest land area in the City and the least developed
and sparsely populated. Found within this commu-
nity are Chickasabogue Park, the State designated
Africatown Park, and High Pointe Golf Course (City
owned). The Whistler community is one of the oldest
communities in the Mobile, Alabama area withhouses
dating back to the early 1800's. The Whistler Com-
munity is also home to the Whistler Historic District,
the proposed Casey Jones Whistler Museum and
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Award:
September 1996
Amount: $100,000
Site Profile: The Pilot
targets implementation of
a strategy for reuse of
under-used sites, with
concentration on the
Whistler Historical District.
Prichard, Alabama
Contacts:
Clyde Chatman
Alabama Department of
Economic and Community
Affairs
(334) 242-5504
Barbara Caprita
U.S. EPA-Region 4
(404) 562-9969
caprita.barbara@
epamail.epa.gov
Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
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Park, Main Street Industrial Area, and Whistler Sta-
tion.
Studies have indicated the existence of soil and
groundwater contamination with metal, volatiles,
and semi-volatile organic compounds. The EPA
Brownfields Pilot program will allow the City to
pursue the resolution of the environmental concerns
at the brownfield sites and position the City for
cleanup and redevelopment.
OBJECTIVES
The focus of Prichard's Brownfields Pilot is to: 1)
develop a Comprehensive Environmental/Redevel-
opment Plan for brownfields sites including site
identification, characterization, and inventory, and to
identify or establish an appropriate local based au-
thority to oversee the brownfields redevelopment
projects and ensure public participation and deci-
sion-making throughout the process; 2) identify in-
novative financing mechanisms for the brownfields
redevelopment projects; and 3) prepare outreach ma-
terials to communicate the benefits of the brownfields
sites' development.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The Pilot has:
• Selected six brownfields sites in the City of Prichard
for brownfields assessment;
• Formed a Neighborhood Association Funding Pro-
gram, which includes active neighborhood associa-
tions to coordinate community involvement in all
phases of the project, with the focus on environmen-
tal justice;
• Received approval from the Alabama Department
of Environmental Management (ADEM) for the
Environmental Phase I and II site assessments and
remediation plan for Casey Jones site. ADEM plans
to provide site assessment for other selected
brownfields sites and will assist with economic
redevelopment activities; and
• Conducted an Urban Area Workshop, Health Fair
Awareness day, health surveys and Environmental
Justice Awareness surveys in conjunction with Ala-
bama A&M and Tuskegee Universities.
The Pilot is:
• Implementing the Comprehensive Environmental/
Redevelopment Plan;
• Creating an Environmental Clearinghouse to serve
the local area; and
• Coordinating with two historical black universities
(Public/Private Academic Partnership) for assis-
tance with the brownfields program. The universi-
ties are: Tuskegee University's Engineering and
Architectural Department and School of Environ-
mental Science; and Alabama A & M University's
School of Agriculture and Environmental Science,
along with the Department of Urban Studies and
Community Planning.
LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES
Experience with the Prichard Pilot has been a catalyst
for related activities including the following.
• The AlabamaHistoricalCommissionhas committed
to working together with all partners to register sites
and structures for designation on the National
Historic Register.
• The Alabama Historical Commission's architects
have committed to work with the City of Prichard's
architects on the Casey Jones building to ensure
proper renovation is implemented.
• A working relationship has been established with
the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program Initiative
to include the brownfields initiative to better estab-
lish economic development and stakeholder partici-
pation.
Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilot
May 1997
Prichard, Alabama
EPA 500-F-97-066
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