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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Trfton, GA
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 Tifton was selected to receive a brown-
fields assessment grant. Tifton (population 15,060),
located in south central Georgia, is in the process of
implementing a redevelopment plan for its historic
downtown district. This district includes a number of
abandoned vacant lots where commercial and indus-
trial buildings once stood. The targeted eight-acre site,
originally a packaging and distribution warehouse for
tobacco and later a textile manufacturing facility, is at
the top of the city's list for redevelopment. The plant,
built in 1888 and abandoned in the early 1990s, is
located next to the city's historic district and is seen as
a bridge between downtown and the west side of
Tifton. It is an unsafe, run-down eyesore that poses a
potential threat to area residents. Nearly 70 percent of
the residents in the surrounding neighborhoods are
Assessment Grant
$150,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Tifton for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to conduct Phase
I and II environmental site assessments of the
former Horizon Mill property, which is suspected
of being contaminated with hazardous substances
co-mingled with petroleum. Grant funds also will
be used to develop cleanup plans, conduct
community outreach activities, and monitor the
health of communities surrounding the site.
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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8866
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm
Grant Recipient: City of Tifton, GA
229-391-3977
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
minorities and approximately 42 percent live in pov-
erty. Assessment and eventual cleanup of the mill
property will remove the eyesore and potential safety
and health threats from the community. The city plans
to redevelop the site into a mixed-use development
with residential and commercial properties, including
walking trails to connect the downtown area with the
local university and other new development. The city
expects this revitalization to spur redevelopment in
Tifton's west side, thereby creating new job opportuni-
ties and increasing the local tax base.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-06-075
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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