Brownfields 2001  Assessment  Pilot  Fact Sheet
               Haverstraw, NY
EPA Brownfields Initiative

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.

Background

EPA has selected the Village of Haverstraw for a
Brownfields Assessment Pilot. The city also was selected
to receive additional funding for assessments at
brownfields properties to be used for greenspace
purposes. Haverstraw (population 9,438) is a small,
historic village located on the western bank of the
Hudson River, just north of New York City. The village
has vastly different demographics and lags economically
behind other communities in Rockland County. Nearly
19 percent of Haverstraw's population lives at or below
the poverty line and per capita income is $11,016.
Minorities represent about 71 percent of Haverstraw's
population.

The Hudson River waterfront has historically been an
economic generator for the village. Haverstraw was the
"brick making capital of the world" in the 19th and 20th
centuries, when 38 brickyards lined the waterfront.
During the Great Depression, the demand for bricks
declined and many of the brickyards were forced to
close. Since the  1930s , the Haverstraw waterfront has
been used intermittently for various industrial purposes,
including a chair factory, and fuel and oil storage. This
Pilot targets three abandoned industrial properties
encompassing 55 acres along the banks of the Hudson,
which recently was designated an American Heritage
                   Pilot Snapshot

                   Date of Announcement: 04/01/2001
                   Amount: $200,000
                             $50,000 for Greenspace
                   Profile: The Pilot focuses on three abandoned
                   industrial sites along Haverstraw's Hudson River
                   waterfront, which was once the brick making capital
                   of the world.

                   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)637-4309
                   EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields/)

                   Grant Recipient: Haverstraw, NY
                   (914)429-0300
                 Objectives

                 The Pilot is a key step in Haverstraw's waterfront
                 revitalization effort. Through this Pilot, the village
                 seeks to empower community groups to continue active
                 participation in the decision-making process that will
                 shape the revitalization of the Haverstraw waterfront.
                 The Pilot also will create a working plan to assess, clean
                 up, and return brownfields to productive use, thereby
                 creating new jobs, contributing to the tax base, and
                 reclaiming public enjoyment of the waterfront. Finally,
                 the Pilot will develop a program to institutionalize
                 brownfields decision-making in all development and
                 planning activities.

                 Activities

                 Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

                      • Implementing a comprehensive Community
                       Involvement Program designed to empower local
  United States
  Environmental
  Protection Agency
  Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA500-F-01-281
        Apr 01

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                                                           community groups and residents;
                                                          • Conducting Phase II environmental site
                                                           assessments on 28 acres of the project area;
                                                          • Developing cleanup and site reuse plans that will
                                                           direct future use of the area, promote jobs and
                                                           economic growth, and maximize public access to
                                                           the waterfront; and
                                                          • Setting aside the riverfront shoreline of the 55
                                                           targeted acres for a public esplanade park.

                                                     The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
                                                     been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
                                                     fact sheet are subject to change.

                                                     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                        Q ., . ,A/__t,.
E-ironmental                       andEmXency                                           EPA 50°-F-°1 ^
Protection Agency                    ResDonse(51oVn                                                  Apr01
Washington, DC 20450                 Kesponse (bl Ob I)

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