Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant  Fact Sheet
               Community Ventures Corporation, Lexington, KY
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 Community Ventures Corporation was selected to
receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The target site is in
Lexington's East End neighborhood (population 27,220)
in Lexington-Fayette County (population 270,789). The
East End is one of the most economically
disadvantaged areas in the city. It was developed in the
early 1900s, and is a culturally significant
African-American neighborhood. For the past four
decades, businesses and residents have migrated from
the area, leaving behind blight and environmental
degradation. Nearly one in five neighborhood workers
is unemployed, and 31 percent of residents live below
the poverty level. East End household incomes are less
than half the city average. The target site is included in
a redevelopment and revitalization plan for the Third
Street Corridor, once a social and economic hub for the
East End. Cleanup of the site is expected to reduce risks
to human health and the environment, reduce the
potential for migration of contaminants, and increase
property values. The Corporation anticipates
redeveloping the site for a mix of retail uses.
                   Cleanup Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the Community Ventures
                   Corporation for a brownfields cleanup grant.
                   Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   clean up the 0.8-acre 265 Midland Avenue site in
                   Lexington. The site was used as a dry cleaning and
                   laundry business beginning in the mid-1960s. The
                   site is contaminated with chlorinated chemical
                   compounds, metals, and benzo(a)pyrene. Grant
                   funds also will be used to conduct 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 4 Brownfields Team
                   (404) 562-8792
                   EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)

                   Grant Recipient: Community Ventures
                   Corporation,KY
                   (859) 231-0054 ext 313

                   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-09-218
        May 09

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