Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
               Fact Sheet
               Alexandria, LA
                                                        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 Alexandria was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Alexandria (population
49,506) is in central Louisiana at the confluence of
railroad lines and the Red River. Historical
manufacturing and industrial operations spurred the
growth of this parish seat, which is the largest city in
Rapides Parish. Over the years, urban flight and the
migration of residents to the suburbs have left behind
bulk petroleum storage areas and other blighted and
abandoned properties. These sites are predominately in
the urban core near low-income neighborhoods. In
these areas, the median household income is $15,538,
unemployment is as high as 15.3 percent, and 43.9
percent of residents live in poverty. The city's
assessment efforts will focus on the downtown and
historical commercial corridors that have a
disproportionate number of properties with
contamination. Assessment of brownfields is expected
to identify health risks to sensitive populations and
catalyze redevelopment in the urban core.
                   Assessment Grant
                   $200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
                   Funding)
                   EPA has selected the City of Alexandria for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                   petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct about
                   six Phase I and three Phase II environmental site
                   assessments, conduct cleanup planning, and support
                   community outreach 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
                   (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                   EPA Region 6 Brownfields Team
                   (214) 665-6780
                   EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Alexandria,LA
                   (318)449-5009

                   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-09-110
        May 09

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