CMC  HEARTLAND
                                                                                              at-a-glance
                                                              Freeport, IL
                                            Assessment and Cleanup Grants
             Former Brownfield to Become Part of 23.8-Mile Country Trail Project
     ADDRESS:           16, 100, and 130 North Henderson Avenue,
                        Freeport, IL6I032
     PROPERTY SIZE:       18 acres
     FORMER USES:        Railroad yard, bulk petroleum facilities, lumberyards,
                        coal businesses, stockyards, beer distributors, icehouses,
                        freight depots, agri-business, vinegar and yeast manufacturers,
                        grain companies, canning factory, mattress factory
     CURRENT USES:       Designated to become part of the Pecatonica Prairie
                        Path project
     EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
     The City of Freeport received a $200,000
     Assessment Pilot in 2001, a $200,000 Assessment
     Grant in 2003, and a $200,000 petroleum EPA
     Brownfields Cleanup Grant in 2004.
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Pecatonica Prairie Path
Commission
For additional data and geographic information for this and
other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's Cleanups in
My Community - http://iaspub.epa.gov/Cleanups/
    PROJECT BACKGROUND:
    CMC Heartland is an 18-acre vacant property located along the Pecatonica River in Freeport, Illinois. Originally owned
    by the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad, the property contained rail yard passenger and freight depots and
    spurs serving coal and lumber businesses in the late 1800s. As time passed, the railroad reportedly leased portions of
    the property to lumberyards, coal businesses, bulk petroleum distributors, stockyards, beer distributors, icehouses, and
    grain companies. Historically, a railroad roundhouse was also present. The Assessment Pilot funded a Phase I assessment
    that was completed in February 2002, which indicated that a Phase II assessment was necessary. The Phase II assessment
    was completed in late 2003 revealing petroleum  contamination in the soil, ground water and surface water. The city took
    ownership of a portion of the site in 2003 from Adair Asset Management and took full ownership of the property in 2004.
    KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
    •   Removed six underground storage tanks and cleaned up a highly
        contaminated bulk petroleum plant.
    •   Leveraged approximately $ 150,000 for cleanup and
        redevelopment activities.
    •   Cleanup of this property serves as a critical piece to making the
        Pecatonica Prairie Path—which is currently impassable across the
        Pecatonica River—continuous and accessible by bike and foot.
    OUTCOME:
    Completed on May 1, 2007, cleanup activities included the removal of six
    underground storage tanks (USTs) and  1,425 cubic yards of contaminated
    soil. CMC Heartland is designated to become part  of the Pecatonica Prairie Path project, which involves the development
    of a 28.3-mile country trail linking Rockford and Freeport, Illinois. Cleanup of the property allows the regional Pecatonica
    Prairie Path recreational trail to extend through Freeport, connecting the community with the regional trail network.
    Additionally, a bridge will connect CMC Heartland  to Tutty's Crossing Trailhead across the Pecatonica River. This bridge
    will create a pedestrian and bicycle connection for  the City of Freeport and area residents. Construction of the bridge is
    expected to be complete by the end of 2010.
                              Removal of underground storage tank at former bulk petroleum plant.
      FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 5 at (312) 886-3058

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