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                          Brownfields  Cleanup
                          Revolving  Loan  Fund
                          Pilot
                          City of Springfield,  OH
BACKGROUND

The City of Springfield (population 65,000), located in
west-central Ohio, has arichindustrial history dating back
to the mid-1800s. The city has fought urban decay ever
since absentee owners began closing the doors of local
industries nearly four decades ago. The city is slowly
rebounding fromindustry' s divestiture, but many abandoned
buildings andvacantlots remain within the city'sboundaries.
These bro wnfields significantly affect the quality of life in
the city. Residents suffer from a poverty rate of 21% and
an unemployment rate of 7%, which are  significantly
higher than state-wide  averages. The city has  been
designated a Distressed Community by the state. Potential
purchasers are unwilling to take on the risk of acquiring
properties that may have significant environmental liability
as a result of past industrial activity.

The city is working to encourage developmentin traditional
industrial areas in order to use existing infrastructure, labor
pools, and transportation routes. The city's Brownfields
Task Force has been very active in identifying underused
sites, inspecting the sites, prioritizing sites for assessment,
and seeking funding for cleanup and redevelopment. From
an initial list of over 125 sites, 13 high-priority sites have
been identified in an effort to focus funding in the most
productive directions. Three of  these sites have been
assessed under the city's Brownfields Assessment Pilot.
Demolition on one of the underused facilities has begun
using local funds.

BCRLF OBJECTIVES

The goal  of the BCRLF Pilot is to provide resources
needed for demolition and remediation and to enhance the
city's opportunities to leverage private investments. The
geographic area for B CRLF eligibility is the entire city, but
the initial focus of the BCRLFPilot will be on the Sheridan/
                                   PILOT SNAPSHOT


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                                     City of Springfield, OH
Date of Announcement:
May 2002

Amount: $1,000,000

BCRLF Target Area:
Sheridan/Kenton
Redevelopment Corridor
                                   Contacts:

                                   City of Springfield, Office of
                                      the City Manager
                                       (937)324-7305
  Region 5 Brownfields
     Coordinator
    (312)886-7576
                                       Visit the E PA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
                                          http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

                                      Forfurther information, including specific Pilotcontacts,
                                   additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
                                   publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
                                             www.epa.gov/brownfields

                                Kenton Industrial Corridor Redevelopment Area, which is
                                located on the east side of the city along the Norfolk-
                                Southern rail line. The city has designated the area a
                                Commercial Reinvestment Area. This area also lies within
                                the state Enterprise Zone and is currently under review for
                                an Urban Renewal designation. Both public and private
                                sector borrowers will be eligible for BCRLF loans.

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FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS

The City of Springfield is the cooperative  agreement
recipient and will serve as the lead agency  and site
manager. The Springfield Small Business Development
Center will serve as the fund manager.

LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES

The State of Ohio has recently established a Clean Ohio
Fund, which makes $400 million available for bro wnfields
redevelopment and greenspace protection. The city is
working on its application for the first round of Clean Ohio
funding. The city plans to establish tax increment financing
districts in areas where BCRLF funds are used in order
repay loans for remediation efforts.  Other  funds and
incentives are available through various federal, state, and
local programs, including the Brownfield Site Cleanup Tax
Credit, Voluntary Action  Program  166  Direct Loan
Program, Water Pollution Control Loan Fund Program,
Community Reinvestment Area tax abatements, and job
creation tax credits. In addition, the city will make significant
contributions of in-kind services.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all
CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRL F funds.
                                                           Solid Waste
                                                           and Emergency
                                                           Response  (5101)
EPA500-F-02-018
May 2002
www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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