Brownfields 2010 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
~ Washington College, Chestertown, MD
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
Washington College was selected to receive two
brownfields cleanup grants. Located in the historic
Town of Chestertown (population 4,746), Washington
College is situated along the Chester River, a tidal
tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Chestertown is the
seat of Kent County, a county bounded on three sides
by water, which has led to high property values.
However, the county"s median household income is
well below the state average. In recent years, several
major businesses closed and others relocated. The
target properties are adjacent to the Chester River in an
area with high poverty and a large minority population.
Fifty-eight percent of students in Chestertown are
African-American. Cuts in state budget resources are a
barrier to revitalization. Once the target sites are
cleaned up, the college intends to expand its waterfront
presence with a new home for the Center for
Environment and Society, a dormitory, and a new
boathouse alongside an expanded existing deck. This
redevelopment is expected to contribute to the
economic development of Chestertown, bringing jobs
to the community and increasing the town's tax base.
Cleanup Grants $200,000 for hazardous
substances $200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected Washington College for two
brownfields cleanup grants. Hazardous substances
grant funds will be used to clean up the 2.6-acre
Crop Production Services site at 419 Cross Street,
Chestertown. The site was used from the late 1800s
until 1987 as a fertilizer and bulk agricultural
chemical storage and distribution facility and marine
terminal. Site soil is contaminated with toxaphene,
metals, and semi-volatile organic compounds. Grant
funds will be used to excavate and transport
contaminated soil and place a clean soil cover over
the property. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
clean up the 2.8-acre Alger Oil, Inc., property at 501
Cross Street, Chestertown. The site has been used as
a petroleum fuel depot and marine terminal since the
1920s. Grant funds will be used to excavate and
transport contaminated soil and conduct
post-cleanup monitoring of groundwater for at least
one year.
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 3 Brownfields Team
(215)814-3129
EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr)
Grant Recipient: Washington College
410-778-7756
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-10-052
Apr 10
------- |