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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant  Fact Sheet

           Providence

    Community Health

           Centers, Rl


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
Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) was
selected to receive two brownfields cleanup grants.
PCHC is targeting brownfields in the City of
Providence's (population 173,618) most challenged,
economically distressed neighborhood of South Provi-
dence (population 10,709). The unemployment rate in
this neighborhood is 16.9 percent, and 47.3 percent of
families live below the poverty level. Neighborhood
residences are close to the large mill buildings that
once made up the industrial landscape of the city.
There are numerous brownfields covering more than
100 square acres of land contaminated by organic
 Cleanup Grants
 $400,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected Providence Community Health
 Centers for two brownfields cleanup grants.
 Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
 clean up Buildings #1 and #2 and the parking lot of
 the Beaman and Smith Factory Complex at 20
 Gordon Avenue. The site was used to construct
 metalworking machine tools, manufacture cans,
 and print books. Contaminants of concern include
 poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals.
 Grant funds will be used to remove and dispose of
 contaminated soil, conduct groundwater monitoring,
 and support community involvement activities.
 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 1 Brownfields Team
 617-918-1424
 http://www.epa.gov/regionl/brownfields
 Grant Recipient: Providence Community Health
 Centers, RI
 401-444-0400
 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.
compounds and petroleum byproducts within one mile
of the cleanup sites. Once the sites are cleaned up,
they will become part of a state-of-the-art urban
industrial park that is expected to provide health care
services, commercial and retail operations, and
greenspace, as well as create 1,850 sustainable jobs for
local residents. This redevelopment is expected to
serve as a catalyst for broader economic development.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-08-035
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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