^    Brownfields  2009 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
               Oklahoma City Medical Business District, Inc., OK
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 Oklahoma City Medical Business District, Inc., was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The
Oklahoma City Medical Business District (population
4,353) is in the northern portion of downtown Oklahoma
City (population 547,274). The high density of vacant lots
and brownfields in the district reflects a history of light
industrial uses and abandonment that began after World
War II. The oil bust of the 1980s added to the
disinvestment in the downtown area. As businesses left
the district, property values dropped, and developers have
been reluctant to reinvest in the neighborhood. Nearly 40
percent of the target community's population lives below
the poverty level, and the median household income is
nearly half that of the city as a whole. Cleanup of the
target site is expected to reduce health hazards, and
catalyze private and public reinvestment in the medical
business district.
                     Cleanup Grant

                     $171,495 for hazardous substances

                     EPA has selected the Oklahoma City Medical
                     Business District, Inc., for a brownfields cleanup
                     grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
                     used to clean up the former Red Cross site at
                     315-323 Northwest 10th Street in Oklahoma City.
                     The site served as office, storage, and parking
                     space for several years, but has been underused
                     for 25 years and is contaminated by inorganic
                     contaminants. Grant funds also will be used for
                     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 6 Brownfields Team
                     (214) 665-6780
                     EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web  site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region6/bro  wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: Oklahoma City Medical
                     Business District, Inc.
                     (405)297-1740

                     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)
EPA 560-F-09-220
      May 2009

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