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Brownfields 2003
Grant Fact Sheet
Gary, IN
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. 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 Gary was selected to receive assessment,
cleanup, and revolving loan fund grants. The decline of
the U.S. steel industry and the shift away from manu-
facturing to a service economy over the past 25 years
has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and
hundreds of businesses in Gary, which has been called
"The City of Steel." The city is a federally designated
Empowerment Zone with hundreds of brownfields that
have contributed to blight and to pollution of the Grand
Calumet River. Nearly 90 percent of the city's popula-
tion are minorities, and 34 percent of Gary residents
have incomes below the poverty level. Community
involvement will be an important aspect of the pro-
posed brownfields projects.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$50,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Gary for a
brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
used to perform Phase I and II hazardous sub-
stances investigations of properties within the
Airport Development Zone, including about 24
acres on West 5th Avenue and 30 acres on West
9th Avenue. The city will use petroleum funds to
assess a former gas station. Grant funds also will
be used for community involvement.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Gary for a brownfields
cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up
a former gas station and repair shop called the
Former Smitty's site at 25th and Chase Streets.
The site will become part of the new M.C. Bennett
City Park, which is part of the Small Farms Urban
Renewal Project within the city's Empowerment
Zone. Grant funds also will be used for community
involvement and to identify and monitor community
wells still in use within a one-mile radius.
Revolving Loan Fund /New'-
Grant
$1,000,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Gary for a revolving
loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capital-
ize a revolving loan fund from which the City of
Gary will provide loans and subgrants to conduct
cleanup activities. The city will emphasize loans for
brownfields properties within "anchor areas" that
have targeted development projects in the Empow-
erment Zone, the Airport Development Zone, the
Downtown/Stadium District, Lakefront, and the
Gary Enterprise Zone.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA500-F-03-100
June 2003
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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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 Gary, IN
219-882-3000
Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the City of
Gary has received brownfields funding for assessment and job
training grants.
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
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