Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
               Fact Sheet
               Bamboo, Wl
                                                        RECOUERY.GOV
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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and
clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under
this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.

Community Description

The City of Baraboo was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Baraboo (population
1 1,755) is a small municipality in central Wisconsin.
The Baraboo River runs through the city and has  been
the site of industrial activity since the river was used to
power textile and lumber mills. The city has established
the Ringling Riverfront redevelopment area to revitalize
this older industrial corridor, which includes 37
brownfields. The Ringling Riverfront area encompasses
the Down Town neighborhood on both sides of the
river. Median household incomes  in this neighborhood
are considerably below the city, county, and state
averages. Located between two larger metropolitan
areas, Baraboo is experiencing development pressure as
the population of these two areas expands. The city is
working to revitalize the Ringling Riverfront to turn this
pressure into opportunities. Assessment of brownfields
in the Ringling Riverfront area is expected to help the
city move forward with its redevelopment plans for the
riverfront, which include a mix of uses designed to take
advantage of the river's amenities.
                   Assessment Grant
                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   (Recovery Act Funding)
                   EPA has selected the City of Baraboo for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   conduct three to five Phase I and two to three Phase
                   II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                   will be used to conduct a health monitoring
                   program, 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 Baraboo,WI
                   (608)355-2715

                   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-09-119
        May 09

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