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' Ji-7 ] Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
Tallahassee, FL
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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. In 2002,
the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act was passed to help states and
communities around the country cleanup and revitalize
brownfields sites. Under this 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 Tallahassee was selected to receive three
brownfields cleanup grants. Tallahassee (population
159,012) is located in Florida's panhandle. The target
area, the Gaines Street Corridor (GSC), was once a
bustling mix of residential, commercial, and industrial
facilities. Today, it is characterized as a low-income,
minority community with many older industrial sites,
including a rail corridor, chemical warehouses, and
petroleum distribution centers. It also is the location of the
city's former coal gasification plant and landfill. Of 465
individual parcels within the GSC's boundaries, 24 have
been identified as contaminated and 49 are perceived to
be contaminated. The family poverty and unemployment
rates in the area are 31 and 34 percent, respectively. The
median household income in the GSC is significantly
lower than the city and state medians. Cleanup of the
target sites in the Gaines Street Corridor will help reduce
health risks to area residents and remove physical blight
from the neighborhood. The city plans to establish the
GSC as a critical component of its downtown goals.
Cleanup Grants
$500,000 for hazardous substances
$100,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Tallahassee for three
brownfields cleanup grants. Hazardous substances
grant funds will be used to clean up the four-parcel
CSX Transportation property in the Gaines Street
Corridor, which was developed for and operated
as a railroad corridor. It is contaminated with
arsenic-based herbicides used to control vegetative
growth along the rail line. Hazardous substances
grant funds also will be used to clean up the
263-parcel Gaines Street Corridor Infrastructure
property. Historic operations of the parcels include
gas stations, dry cleaners, and railroad activities.
Contaminants of concern include arsenic in soil
and groundwater. Hazardous substances and
petroleum grant funds will be used to clean up the
five-parcel Salie property along Gaines, West
Gaines, and Gay Streets. The property was used as
an auto repair facility, paving company, and
trucking company. Contaminants of concern
include petroleum hydrocarbons, herbicides, and
metals. Grant funds also will be used to conduct
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 Tallahassee,FL
(850)891-8704
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-09-160
May 2009
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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-09-160
May 2009
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