Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Chicago Heights, IL
REC(M(H.GBV
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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and
clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under
this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Chicago Heights was selected to receive
two brownfields assessment grants. During the 1990s,
Chicago Heights (population 32,776) experienced
serious deterioration of its older neighborhoods. Today,
over half the parcels in the city are either city-owned or
tax delinquent, boarded up, and vacant. The city's
poverty rate is more than 17 percent, and the
unemployment rate exceeds 1 1 percent. The city is
focusing assessment efforts on the area surrounding two
proposed Metra commuter railroad stations. Chicago
Heights will be the transfer point for thousands of daily
commuters in and around Chicago. Brownfield
assessments in the project area are expected to generate
information that can be used to evaluate health risk
concerns and attract developers to the area.
Redevelopment is expected to provide convenient retail
and commercial opportunities for users of the proposed
Metra train stations, encourage multi-family residential
development, and create jobs.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Chicago Heights for
two brownfields assessment grants.
Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds
will be used to update an inventory of brownfield
sites throughout the city and conduct five Phase I
and four Phase II environmental site assessments.
Grant funds also will be used to conduct community
outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be
used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential
petroleum contamination.
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 Chicago Heights,IL
(708)756-5315
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)
EPA560-F-09-108
May 09
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