V® PR0^ Brownfields 2007 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet New Haven, CT 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 The City of New Haven was selected to receive two brownfields cleanup grants. New Haven (population 123,626) lies on Connecticut's coast. The cleanup and redevelopment of the two target sites are an integral part of the city's River Street Municipal Development Plan. The plan focuses on the Fair Haven neighborhood, a distressed community along one of the city's oldest industrial corridors. Fair Haven is a primarily minority neighborhood within the city's federally designated Empowerment Zone. More than 55 percent of its residents are Hispanic, and 24 percent are African-American. Thirty-one percent of residents have incomes below the poverty level. The corridor is home to several manufacturing concerns, but 41 percent of the area is vacant space. The combination of high poverty, high unemployment, and brownfields poses environmental justice issues. The River Street Municipal Development Plan calls for redevelopment and reuse of historic buildings, development of a waterfront park, and improvement of public infrastructure. These projects will bring much-needed jobs, housing, and a commercial outlet to the neighborhood. Cleanup Grants $400,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the City of New Haven for two brownfields cleanup grants. Grant funds will be used to clean up 34 Lloyd Street, which formerly was used as a scrap metal facility, a boat repair business, and a fuel oil supply company. Grant funds also will be used to clean up 56 River Street, a former railroad yard and truck trailer storage yard. Contaminants of concern at both sites include metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and PCBs. Funds from both grants 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 1 Brownfields Team (617) 918-1424 EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/regionl/bro wnfields ) Grant Recipient: City of New Haven,CT (203) 946-8200 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-07-121 Protection Agency Response (5105T) May 2007 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |