Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact  Sheet
               G/e/7S Falls, NY
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. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. Under this 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 Glens Falls was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Glens Falls (population
14,354)  is located along the Hudson River at the
southern tip of Adirondack Park in upstate New York.
It was once the economic engine for much of northern
New York. The city is targeting the South Street
Corridor in the downtown business district and the
surrounding working class neighborhood. The district
was home to various industrial properties, including
textile factories and mills, metal shops, and cement
plants. This once heavily industrialized area now
contains vacant and deteriorated factories and
warehouses. About 25 to 35 known or potential
brownfield sites are located in the target area. The city
estimates that the corridor's commercial vacancy rate is
near 30 percent. The closing, downsizing, and
abandonment of several mills and plants have resulted
in lost jobs and declining incomes. The average income
of corridor residents is about 56 percent of the city
average. Brownfield assessments are expected to
facilitate redevelopment and the upgrade of the city's
infrastructure.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Glens Falls for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   evaluate an inventory of over 1,000 potential
                   brownfield sites, and conduct at least 12 Phase I and
                   5 Phase II environmental site assessments in the
                   South Street Corridor. Grant funds also will be used
                   to 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 2 Brownfields Team
                   (212) 637-4358
                   EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region2/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Glens Falls,NY
                   (518)761-3833

                   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 560-F-09-236
        May 09

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