Brownfields 2002 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet City of Lancaster, Ohio EPA Brownfields Initiative EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states. communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield 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. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Background EPA has selected the City of Lancaster for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Located 30 miles southeast of Columbus, Lancaster (population 35, 335) is growing quickly, and soon will be transformed from a small city to a thriving suburb of the state capital. While rapid residential development has brought many new residents, jobs are leaving the city. Recently, five manufacturing firms left the city in one year, and other firms are in the process of closing down. Unplanned and haphazard growth could threaten to destroy the city's most attractive assets, including natural areas, historic structures, natural woodlands, and the Hocking River corridor. The city wants to manage its growth and prevent sprawl by attracting a greater mix of development back into the city. To accomplish this, they have targeted former industrial properties that have become brownfields for redevelopment. Unlike many larger cities with industrial corridors, Lancaster's brownfields are scattered throughout the city, often bringing blight and health and safety risks to adjacent residential areas. The Pilot targets two properties that occupy 16 acres in a mixed-use residential, commercial, and industrial area on the southeastern edge of the city. The 11-acre Anchor Hocking Plant #2 property employed more than 3,000 people until it closed in the 1980s, after 50 years of Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2002 Amount: $200,000 Profile: City of Lancaster, Ohio.The Pilot targets two properties that occupy 16 acres in a mixed-use residential, commercial, and industrial area on the southeastern edge of the city for redevelopment. 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 (http ://www .epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: City of Lancaster,OH (740)687-6606 Objectives Due to rapid growth and the loss of local jobs, the City of Lancaster wants to maximize use of available land by cleaning up brownfields and returning them to productive use. The city's objective is to remove environmental threats, help expand local businesses, and attract new businesses that will increase and diversify local employment and help Lancaster stay competitive with surrounding communities during a time of rapid growth. The Pilot will assess environmental conditions, develop cleanup strategies, and quantify cleanup costs for the Anchor Hocking Plant #2 and Frick Gallagher property sites. Once site assessments are complete, the properties will be eligible for cleanup and redevelopment financing through Ohio's new Clean Ohio Fund, which will be available for only four years, beginning in 2002. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-02-049 May 02 ------- operation. The 5-acre Frick Gallagher property once housed a battery manufacturer, but the environmental conditions at the site currently are unknown. Residential areas abut both properties, and one of them is next to a playground. The median income in the target area is $28,114, as compared to the state average of $43,852. Approximately 13 percent of Lancaster's residents live below the poverty level. • Conducting environmental site assessments at the Anchor Hocking Plant #2 and the Frick Gallagher property sites; • Developing cleanup strategies for each site based on data collected and future use; • Quantifying cleanup costs for each site in a report that meets the requirements of the Clean Ohio Fund; and • Developing and implementing a community relations strategy, which will include developing informational materials, forming a Brownfields community advisory group, and participating in community events. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. 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 negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-02-049 May 02 ------- |