Brownfields  2010 Assessment  Grant Fact  Sheet
    ™          Cedar Springs, Ml
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 City of Cedar Springs was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment coalition grant. The city"s
coalition partners are the Village of Sand Lake and the
Townships of Algoma and Nelson. Located in
southwestern Michigan, Cedar Springs (population
15,392)  began with the founding of several lumber
mills in the late 1800s. By the mid-1980s,
manufacturers began downsizing as they faced overseas
competition. The resulting economic downturn left
behind many abandoned brownfield sites. The state has
identified about 79 documented brownfields in the
coalition area, and the coalition has identified an
additional 52 potential brownfields. The loss of
manufacturing jobs has forced 66 percent of the
region"s residents to travel outside of the region for
employment. The unemployment rate in the coalition
area is 12 percent. Brownfield assessments are expected
to facilitate site cleanup and redevelopment.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Cedar Springs for a
                   brownfields assessment coalition grant.
                   Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds
                   will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and eight Phase II
                   environmental site assessments, develop cleanup
                   plans, and support 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 5 Brownfields Team
                   (312)886-7576
                   EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Cedar Springs,MI
                   616-696-1330

                   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-10-100
        Apr 10

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