Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
               Fact Sheet
               Concord, NC
                                                        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 Concord was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located 20 miles northeast
of Charlotte, Concord (population 70,071) has a history
steeped in textile manufacturing and related industries.
These industries were scattered throughout "Center City,"
the targeted older portion of the city. Today, there are 243
potential brownfield sites in this nine-square-mile area.
Dissolution of the textile-related industries has seriously
impacted the city. The planned closure of the largest
remaining manufacturer in the city, Phillip Morris, will
result in the loss of about 2,600 jobs and $1.14 million in
annual tax revenue.  Unemployment and poverty rates in
the target area are about twice the city's rates. About 29
percent of area residents are African-American, and 16
percent are Latino. The assessment of brownfields will
provide the city with information about site contamination
and is expected to attract investment in redevelopment
projects.
                     Assessment Grant
                     $200,000 for hazardous substances
                     (Recovery Act Funding)
                     EPA has selected the City of Concord for a
                     brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     conduct seven Phase I and four Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                     will be used to perform cleanup planning 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 4 Brownfields Team
                     (404) 562-8792
                     EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region4/was te/bf)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Concord, North Carolina
                     (704)920-5142

                     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-09-185
      May 2009

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