Lancaster County, Pennsylvania	October 2005
SB J and the Roberto Clemente Park
What do baseball arid the U.S. EPA Brownfields Program
have in common? How about the successful renewal of
the Roberto Clemente Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania!
Roberto Clemente Park was a remnant of 1960's-era urban
renewal; once a place of community pride and celebration,
the park fell into disarray and became a poorly maintained,
underutilized, and potentially contaminated brownfield in
one of Lancaster's oldest communities, where one-third of
the residents live in poverty.
The completed Roberto Clemente Park.
In 1998, the Inner City Group, a nonprofit coalition of
neighborhood-based organizations, was charged with
revitalizing this once vibrant and celebrated park as part
of a larger economic development effort in the community.
After discovering buried demolition debris early in the design phase of the project, the Inner City Group enlisted the
assistance of the Lancaster County Planning Commission. The Commission used a portion of its $250,000 EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant to conduct a Phase I assessment for the 3.5 acre park. Upon discovering that the park
had once been home to a scrap yard, dry cleaner, and umbrella handle manufacturer, a Phase II assessment followed.
The assessment revealed scattered arsenic and lead contamination in soils and tetrachloroethene in groundwater. Next
came the cleanup plan; cleanup conducted according to the Special Industrial Area provisions of Pennsylvania's Voluntary
Cleanup Program ("Act 2"), involved excavating several "hot spots," conducting a risk assessment, and applying Deed
Restrictions.
In total, more than $153,000 of EPA Brownfield Pilot grant funding was used at the site, leveraging another $700,000 in
public and private funds for the redevelopment of Roberto Clemente Park.
Roberto Clemente, Jr. cutting the ribbon in the opening day ceremony
of Roberto Clemente Park, May 7, 2005
On May 7,2005, EPA Region 3's Hazardous Site Cleanup
Division Director, Abe Ferdas, and Roberto Clemente, Jr.
joined state and county officials and members of the South
Duke Street community at a ribbon cutting ceremony in
downtown Lancaster to officially open the newly redeveloped
Roberto Clemente Park and bail field. The park features a
new walking path and a state-of-the-art baseball diamond
for youth and adult leagues as well as the general public to
use and enjoy. The park also features a tribute to Roberto
Clemente, the first Latino admitted to the National Baseball
Hall of Fame. A sign at the park notes the assistance
provided by the U.S. EPA and other organizations and
includes a quote from Clemente, "Any time you have the
opportunity to make a difference in the world and you don't,
then you are wasting your time on earth."
Please visit EPA's Region 3 Web site at www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs for more information,

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