Brownfields 2009  Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Unified Government of  Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS
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 Unified Government of Wyandotte County and
Kansas City was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. The county and city (population
153,956) are targeting the northeast neighborhood of
Kansas City known as the Discovery Point
Revitalization Area (DPRA) for assessments. This
325-acre area was home to a variety of industries,
including grain storage sites, railroad operations, and
petroleum refining facilities, many of which were
located along the Missouri River. Brownfields in the
DPRA pose a risk to area residents and the
environment. About 92 percent of residents in the
DPRA are African-American. The unemployment rate
in the neighborhood is 13 percent, and the poverty rate
is 49 percent. Assessment of brownfields is the first  step
in a revitalization plan for the DPRA. Information
collected in the assessment process will be used to
undertake strategic planning activities.
                   Assessment Grants

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   $200,000 for petroleum

                   EPA has selected the Unified Government of
                   Wyandotte County and Kansas City for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                   grant funds will be used to identify and prioritize
                   sites, and conduct about 40 Phase I and 6 to 10 Phase
                   II environmental site assessments for hazardous
                   substances and petroleum contamination. Grant
                   funds also will be used to prepare cleanup plans and
                   support community outreach activities. Assessments
                   will focus on the Discovery Point Revitalization
                   Area in northeast Kansas City.

                   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 7 Brownfields Team
                   (800) 223-0425
                   EPA Region 7 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brown fields)

                   Grant Recipient: Unified Government of Wyandotte
                   County/Kansas City
                   (913)573-5749

                   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-09-158
        May 09

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