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  Brownfields 2005
  Grant  Fact Sheet
   Chicago Heights, IL
EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield 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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Chicago Heights was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Based on poverty,
unemployment, and economic growth factors, the state
designated Chicago Heights (population 32,776) an
Enterprise Community. The poverty and unemployment
rates  are 17.5 and 8.3 percent, respectively. Sixty-three
percent of the population is minority. During the 1990s,
the city experienced serious deterioration of its older
neighborhoods, especially the East Side. Today, over
half the parcels in the East Side are either owned by
the city, tax delinquent, or boarded up and vacant.
Chicago Heights has identified over 30 brownfields
sites with high redevelopment potential. Although a
number of these sites have attracted development
  Assessment Grant
   $200,000 for hazardous substances
  EPA has selected the City of Chicago Heights for
  a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will
  be used to conduct six Phase I and four Phase II
  environmental site assessments and perform
  community outreach activities throughout the city.
                                                 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 at: www.epa.gov/
  brownfields.

  EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
  312-886-7576
  http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: City of Chicago Heights, IL
  708-756-5315

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
interest, further assessments are necessary to proceed
with redevelopment. Assessment of these and other
sites will allow Chicago Heights to build on the momen-
tum of its past urban redevelopment efforts to address
brownfields sites and meet the city's goals of creating
housing and business opportunities, and enhancing
recreational and open space resources in the commu-
nity.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-05-087
                        May 2005
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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