Brownfields  2009 Assessment  Grant Fact  Sheet
    ™          Grady County Joint Development Authority, GA
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 Grady County Joint Development Authority was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
Located in the southwest corner of Georgia, the City of
Cairo is the seat of Grady County (population 25,042).
Cairo was nicknamed "Syrup City" because of its cane
syrup production from the early 1900s through the late
1990s. As factories closed and urban areas began to
decline, residents left the city. Brownfields in Cairo
include service stations, a fuel depot, dry cleaners, and a
fertilizer plant. Uncertainties related to contamination
have deterred investment in the area, contributing to the
community's blight. Thirty percent of Cairo residents live
below the poverty level, and 56 percent of residents are
minorities. The unemployment rate is significantly higher
in Cairo than in the county or state. Brownfield
assessments will help the Authority understand the extent
and nature of contamination at sites. Assessments also
will help identify potential site reuses, thereby facilitating
cleanup and redevelopment.
                     Assessment Grants

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances
                     $200,000 for petroleum

                     EPA has selected the Grady County Joint
                     Development Authority for two brownfields
                     assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous
                     substances and petroleum grant funds will be used
                     to conduct a brownfields inventory and at least 12
                     Phase I and 6 Phase II environmental site
                     assessments throughout Grady County, with an
                     emphasis on the City of Cairo. Grant funds also
                     will be used to conduct cleanup planning, and to
                     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: Grady County Joint Development
                     Authority,GA
                     (229) 377-3663

                     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-09-182
      May 2009

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