w5 Brownfields 1998 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet Ulster County, NY EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. Background EPA has selected Ulster County for a Brownfields Pilot. The Pilot targets the Mid-Hudson Valley, which lies directly north of the New York metropolitan area. The Valley encompasses Ulster, Orange, and Dutchess Counties, and includes the Cities of Beacon, Newburgh, Middletown, Kingston, Port Jervis, and Poughkeepsie. This region has suffered from the loss of industry, aging infrastructure, deteriorated downtown areas, and eroding financial bases. These trends have been exacerbated by the reduction of 13,000 workers by a single employer. Although the region has adapted by creating jobs in the goods-producing sectors, many properties with redevelopment potential, especially in the cities, remain underused or abandoned due to potential contamination and unknown financial liabilities. There has been an increase in the number of companies looking to expand in the region, especially from the New York City area, and demand for industrial sites currently exceeds the supply. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 07/01/1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets the Mid-Hudson Valley, which lies north of the New York metropolitan area 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 2 Brownfields Team (212) 637-4309 EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields/) Grant Recipient: County of Ulster, New York (914)565-4900 Objectives The Pilot's objective is to facilitate brownfields redevelopment through the formation of a regional public/private partnership, the Mid-Hudson Valley Brownfield Partnership (MHVBP). The MHVBP will be a centralized forum through which owners and developers can obtain technical information and assistance. In addition, the MHVBP plans to streamline review and approval processes and provide training and skills for community members. Pilot funding will be used to develop a brownfields inventory, conduct site assessments, and develop a regional model for brownfields redevelopment. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Establishing a regional clearinghouse to provide technical assistance and additional resources for potential developers and property owners; • Developing a geographic information system-based inventory of brownfields sites and United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-98-182 Jul 98 ------- a Project Redevelopment Site Survey which prioritizes properties based on redevelopment potential; • Conducting model Phase I and II environmental assessments on, and developing cleanup plans for, one or two strategic sites; • Conducting four to six public meetings and workshops to inform affected brownfields communities about project activities and to solicit input; and • Identifying other incentives or sources of funding available for site assessments or cleanup. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. 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 and Emergency Response (5105T) Solid Waste EPA 500-F-98-182 Jul 98 ------- w5 Brownfields 1998 Supplemental Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet Ulster County, New York EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. Background EPA awarded Ulster County supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Ulster County, along with Orange County and Dutchess County, is a leading governmental partner in the Mid-Hudson Land Revitalization Partnership, which was established in 1998 to revitalize communities in the region through redevelopment of brownfields. Participating cities include Beacon, Kingston, Middletown, Newburgh, Port Jervis, and Poughkeepsie. The Partnership is a coalition of over 25 government, business, environmental, and civic organizations. Communities in the Mid-Hudson region have experienced unprecedented development pressure, which has increased sprawl and threatened the region's world class natural beauty. Through the original EPA Pilot, the Partnership identified 172 potential brownfields in the region and conducted Phase I environmental assessments at 86 properties. The Phase I environmental data will be used in a variety of ongoing redevelopment planning initiatives in the Mid-Hudson region. In the process of building the inventory, the Partnership forged strong links with representatives of municipal, community, environmental, legal, engineering, finance, development, and real estate organizations. The supplemental Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 07/15/1998 Amount: $150,000 Profile: Ulster County, New York. The Pilot will conduct Phase II environmental assessments on waterfront sites in Newburgh and Kingston and expand inventory of brownfield sites through site specific education outreach efforts to private owners. 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 2 Brownfields Team (212) 637-4309 EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields/) Grant Recipient: County of Ulster, New York (845) 340-3642 Objectives Ulster County will use the supplemental assistance to conduct Phase II environmental assessments at waterfront sites in the City of Newburgh and in the City of Kingston. Based upon the results of Phase I environmental assessments conducted through the original Pilot, both of these sites require further testing. Funds also will be directed towards efforts to expand the inventory of potential brownfield sites within the region, site-specific education and outreach to private owners, and involving affected communities in reuse decisions. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Continuing development of a regional brownfields inventory to identify additional brownfields in the counties; United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-02-084 May 02 ------- assistance will be used to build on the work that has been completed over the past three years and continue to advance an innovative regional approach to brownfields revitalization in the Hudson Valley. • Conducting additional site-specific education and outreach to private owners; • Conducting Phase II environmental assessments on waterfront sites in Newburgh and Kingston; and • Conducting outreach and community involvement activities. 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 500-F-02-084 j. j.- a ancl Emergency .. __ Protection Agency Response (5105T) MaV02 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |