Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Cuyahoga Falls, OH
EPA Brownfields Program

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.

Community Description

The City of Cuyahoga Falls was selected to receive an
assessment grant. Cuyahoga Falls (population 50,000)
is located in northeastern Ohio, approximately 40 miles
south of Cleveland. The land bordering the Cuyahoga
River is littered with abandoned, idled, and underused
facilities that are the remnants of the city's once
thriving industrial base. In the past century, many
manufacturers closed their antiquated plants and moved
their operations and high-paying jobs to other locations.
The Front Street River Corridor area, within which all
of the target properties are located, has the lowest
median family income in the city. Nearly a quarter of
target area residents live below the poverty level, and
the unemployment rate is  18 percent.  Brownfields
redevelopment is expected to create new jobs, housing
opportunities, and recreational opportunities along the
neglected riverfront.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Cuyahoga Falls for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
                   used to perform environmental assessments at sites
                   within three city-designated redevelopment areas.
                   These areas are located in a blighted industrial
                   corridor adjacent to the Cuyahoga River, a National
                   Heritage River. Grant funds also will be used to
                   complete a citywide brownfields inventory and
                   involve the community in land-use decisions.

                   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: Cuyahoga Falls, OH, City of
                   (330)971-8136

                   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-03-079
        Jun 03

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