United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-137
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Barberton, OH
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. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models;job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs 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 has selected the City of Barberton for a
Brownfields Pilot. Barberton (population 27,623) is
an urban, working-class community located along the
1-76 corridor in the Tuscawaras River watershed.
Downsizing and shutdowns of industrial operations
during the past 20 years have resulted in 2,000 lost
jobs and a decline in tax revenue for the city. The
city's residents also suffer from a 16.7 percent poverty
rate and a 22.5 percent unemployment rate.
As a result of the shutdowns and downsizing, 652
acres of brownfields now represent 51 percent of
Barberton's developable land. As apart of an overall
city revitalization strategy, Barberton plans to clean
up and redevelop a 250-acre brownfields tract in
South Barberton. The area includes a construction
and demolition landfill, a scrap yard, a motor freight
company, a machine shop, an asphalt plant and gravel
mining operations, and unregulated dump sites.
OBJECTIVES
The Pilot's objective is to facilitate the cleanup and
redevelopment of 250 acres of contiguous land in
South Barberton as a self-sustaining, mixed-use
neighborhood by completing site assessments at four
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Barberton, Ohio
Contacts:
City of Barberton
Department of Planning
(330) 848-6729
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
four brownfields in a 250-
acre tract in the Van Buren
neighborhood of South
Barberton.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 5
(312)353-3161
Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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priority brownfields. The Pilot will be implemented
within the city's broader revitalization strategy, which
seeks to address housing and transportation needs,
public service issues, industrial and commercial jobs,
and related quality of life issues. Cleanup and
redevelopment of the brownfields within South
Barberton are a key component of this strategy. The
redevelopment plans for the targeted area, known as
the Van Buren neighborhood, include low-income
housing and other residences, a 3.7-acre lake, and
incubator-like industrial opportunities.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Performing four environmental assessments within
South Barberton;
• Completing a city-wide groundwater contamination
assessment and preparing a cleanup plan;
• Conducting public outreach activities, including
distribution of four Pilot-project newsletters and
holding four community informational meetings;
and
• Holding four workshops to facilitate the participation
of property owners in site cleanups.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Barberton, Ohio
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-137
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