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 ------- |