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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant  Fact Sheet

 Jericho Road Episcopal

  Housing Initiative, LLC,

       New Orleans,  LA


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 this 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative, LLC
(Jericho Road), was  selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. The Central City area (population
18,993) of New Orleans (population 223,388) devel-
oped in the 19th Century to accommodate the city's
early growth and provide housing to immigrants and
working class families. Until the 1950s, Central City
was a racially mixed, working-class neighborhood with
a thriving commercial corridor. Since then, the neigh-
borhood has been in  decline. This situation has resulted
in blight and vacant and abandoned properties. About
87 percent of Central City residents are African-
 Cleanup Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the Jericho Road Episcopal
 Housing Initiative, LLC, for a brownfields cleanup
 grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to clean up the Saratoga Street Incinerator
 site at 2941 South Saratoga Street in New Orleans'
 Central City neighborhood. In addition to incinera-
 tor operations, the site also served as a solid waste
 transfer station. Site soil is contaminated with
 volatile organic compounds, metals, PCBs, and
 dioxins.
 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 6 Brownfields Team
 214-665-6780
 http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields
 Grant Recipient: Jericho Road Episcopal Housing
 Initiative, LLC, LA
 504-251-6014
 The information presented in this fact sheet comes
 from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
 accuracy of this information. The cooperative
 agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti-
 ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact
 sheet are subject to change.
American. Nearly 50 percent of the population lives in
poverty. Twenty-four of the city's 286 listed
brownfields are in Central City. The Saratoga Street
Incinerator site, surrounded on three sides by residen-
tial properties, is one of Central City's largest
brownfields. Once cleanup is complete, Jericho Road
plans to develop the site with single-family residences
and a community garden. Cleanup of this site is
expected to reduce environmental contamination and
lead to an increase in the city's tax base.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-08-151
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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