Brownfields 2002 Revolving Loan Fund Pilot 9& % Fact Sheet Montgomery County, PA EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. Background Montgomery County (population 750,000) is located immediately northwest of the City of Philadelphia. The county encompasses 62 municipalities, including the older boroughs of Pottstown, Conshohocken, Ambler, and Norristown. A 100-year history of heavy industrial and manufacturing use has created many abandoned and potentially contaminated properties in the county. The majority of these properties are in the older boroughs where demographic data indicate economic conditions are significantly below county wide conditions. Even in the growing state and county real estate market, brownfields are being avoided because of liability and cleanup concerns. The Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County (RAMC) has been actively involved in reclaiming brownfields since the mid-1970s. Under its Brownfields Assessment Pilot, RAMC has created a comprehensive inventory of brownfields in the county that identifies 70 high-priority sites. The inventory shows that brownfields exist throughout the county and tend to be smaller sites that impact surrounding properties. The county plans to send a letter to the owners of these properties to introduce them to redevelopment initiatives and seek their participation. Site assessment activities will be initiated in 2002. Many of these brownfields are located Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2002 Amount: $1,000,000 Profile: Sites throughout Montgomery County 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: Montgomery County, PA (610)278-3680 Objectives The county's goal is to use BCRLF Pilot funds to redevelop contaminated sites and support local economic and community development efforts. Potential borrowers will be identified through outreach already being conducted by county and state economic development programs. Sites to be cleaned up using BCRLF funds will be required to participate in the Pennsylvania Industrial Sites Reuse Program. The county has identified projects in Ambler Borough and the Pottstown Keystone Opportunity Zone at which BCRLF Pilot funds might be used in the near term. A Phase II assessment is about to be completed at a former asbestos manufacturer disposal area in Ambler Borough. RAMC currently is pursuing access agreements from the owners of the properties collectively forming the Pottstown Keystone Opportunity Zone so that site assessments can be conducted. These high-priority sites are anticipated to be ready for cleanup within the year. Activities Fund Structure and Operations United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA500-F-02-016 May 02 ------- Opportunity Zones. Montgomery County is the cooperative agreement recipient and will serve as the lead agency. The Redevelopment Authority of Montgomery County will serve as the site manager and fund manager. BCRLF funds will be used in conjunction with available federal, state, and local economic and community development funding programs. Potential state funding programs include Pennsylvania Industrial Sites Reuse grants, Infrastructure Development grants, brownfields inventory grants, Enterprise Zone tax incentives, and Keystone Opportunity Zone grants. Federal programs include HUD Community Development Block Grants, revolving loan programs, and Brownfields Economic Development Initiative loans. The Montgomery County Community Revitalization Program also may provide grants. In addition, developers will be required to match low-interest BCRLF loans. 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) EPA500-F-02-016 May 02 ------- |