Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Florence, SC
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 Florence was selected to receive an
assessment grant. Florence (population 30,248) is
located in eastern South Carolina, approximately 80
miles east of Columbia. The city grew up at the
juncture of three major railroads. The downtown area
established itself as the economic and cultural center of
the eight-county "Pee Dee" region of South Carolina, so
named after the local Pee Dee Indians. Cotton and
tobacco cultivation, along with railroad industries,
dominated the economy until the late  1950s. Today,
much of the commercial and industrial base has moved
away from downtown Florence, resulting in high
unemployment and numerous brownfields. Minorities
comprise nearly 45 percent of the city's population.
Florence's median household income  is lower than the
state's median. The city hopes to spur economic growth
and community development by redeveloping seven
targeted areas in the downtown area. In particular, the
city is focusing on redeveloping a 20-acre underused
site that serves as a barrier to the disadvantaged
African-American community.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Florence for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. The city intends to use
                   grant funds to perform environmental site
                   assessments on brownfields in seven targeted areas
                   of the city, including a 20-acre site that inhibits
                   economic growth in a nearby low-income,
                   predominately minority neighborhood. Grant funds
                   also will be used for community outreach activities,
                   cleanup planning, and health monitoring.

                   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 4 Brownfields Team
                   (404) 562-8792
                   EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)

                   Grant Recipient: Florence, SC
                   (843)665-3113

                   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 500-F-03-094
        Jun 03

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