I JBt \ Brownfields 2011 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet V V Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, KY 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 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Lexington-Fayette County (population 260,512) is in the urban center of Kentucky's Bluegrass Region and is known as the Horse Capital of the World. Since its establishment in 1782, Lexington has served as a major regional economic center with prosperous paper mills, petroleum refineries, and manufacturing and tobacco operations. Recently, the county has experienced an economic downturn. Between 2008 and 2009, the county lost 13,639 jobs. The county will conduct assessments in northwest Lexington, one of the city's oldest industrial neighborhoods. There have recently been serious slowdowns and layoffs in the service, construction, and production sectors in the area. About 25 percent of northwest Lexington residents live at or below the poverty level. Brownfield assessments will identify potential risks posed by sites and help ensure that the level of cleanup is appropriate for planned reuse. The county expects that assessments also will catalyze redevelopment in the target area. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for a brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to develop a site inventory and conduct 20 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop five cleanup plans and 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: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government,KY 859-425-2800 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-128-052 May 2011 ------- |