Brownfields 2004 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Mer/c/e/7,  C7
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
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.

Community Description

The City of Meriden was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Since the 1950s, this
small, urban community (population 58,244) has lost
much of its manufacturing base, resulting in continual
erosion of its tax base. The recession  and collapse of
the real estate market in the early 1990s further
impacted the city's ability to generate revenues. Hard
economic times and disinvestment in real property have
left the city with a disproportionate number of
brownfields sites. Over the past few years, the city has
demolished about 350 abandoned buildings to address
threats to public health and safety. African-Americans
and Hispanics comprise about 30 percent of the city's
population, and nearly 60 percent of its inner city
neighborhoods. Meriden's per capita income is less than
74 percent of the state average. Reuse of brownfields
sites is expected to create  opportunities for Meriden's
most sensitive populations by attracting new
investment, creating jobs, and improving the quality of
life for residents.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Meriden for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
                   used to conduct a citywide inventory of brownfields
                   sites, perform approximately five to ten Phase I site
                   assessments, and perform Phase II site assessments
                   at priority sites. Funds will also be used to conduct
                   community outreach activities and to devise a
                   redevelopment plan for a site that already has been
                   assessed.

                   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 1 Brownfields Team
                   (617)918-1424
                   EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields)
                   Grant Recipient: City of Meriden, CT

                   City of Meriden
                   (203)630-4151

                   City of Meriden
                   (203)630-4151

                   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-04-079
        Jun 04

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