Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               c°°n
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 Coon Rapids was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located just north of
Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Coon Rapids (population
61,956) is a historic community on the Mississippi River
that has seen a significant decrease in its commercial base.
Many of the early commercial and industrial areas, which
experienced growth during the 1960s through the 1990s,
have become outdated and abandoned. The city"s
population has not increased in the past 10 years,
primarily due to an aging community and the low
inventory of quality market-rate housing. The state has
identified nearly 600 sites of potential environmental
concern in the city. Minority residents are
disproportionately concentrated in the areas most
impacted by brownfields. The city has cut staffing and
service levels because of the loss of industry-related jobs
and cuts in funding from state sources, and does not have
the resources for brownfield assessments. Assessment of
brownfields is expected to serve as a catalyst for
redevelopment projects in the target area and leverage
private investment in redevelopment projects.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the City of Coon Rapids for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     conduct a brownfields inventory and perform up
                     to 10 Phase I and approximately five Phase II
                     environmental site assessments in the target area
                     along the five-mile Coon Rapids Boulevard
                     Corridor. Grant funds also will be used to develop
                     cleanup plans for two sites and conduct
                     community outreach activities. Petroleum grant
                     funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at
                     sites with potential petroleum contamination.
                     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 5 Brownfields Team
                     (312)886-7576
                     EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Coon Rapids,MN
                     763-767-6458

                     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-10-113
      April 2010

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