I JBt? | Brownfields 2004 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet V'/ Lumber City, 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. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields 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 Lumber City was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The former manufacturing site targeted for assessment once was the center of economic activity in Lumber City (population 1,247) and the surrounding area. When the plant closed in 2001, it created a ripple effect throughout the three-county target area (population 30,657): 450 residents lost their jobs, small businesses closed, sales of homes and automobiles declined, and government services were cut due to the declining tax base. Per capita income in Lumber City is less than half the state income, and almost 19 percent of families live in poverty. The family poverty rates for the three surrounding counties range from 17 to 22 percent. Redevelopment of the site into a mixed-use industrial park will help bring much needed jobs to the area, increase tax revenue, and spark economic revitalization in the region. The redevelopment will also add greenspace and recreational areas for city residents. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected Lumber City for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to perform a complete environmental site assessment on a former manufacturing plant believed to be contaminated with hazardous substances. Remaining funds will be used to inventory, prioritize, and, if funding is available, assess additional sites in the three surrounding counties of Telfaer, Jeff Davis, and Wheeler. 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 Lumber City,GA (478) 374-4771 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-04-075 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2004 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |