State and Tribal Response eERI\ ¦ United States Program H ighIights ~4n,aip°ec n EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities REGION I MASSACHUSETTS—A once thriving corner market in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston shut down in the early 2000s. After sitting vacant for several decades, the community redevelopment process began in 2019 and included a partnership between the neighbors and the Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC), a non-profit that has been active in both the redevelopment and management of new parks and community garden spaces in the city. In 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an assessment on the property. The assessment revealed no contamination of concern, and the property was made ready for redevelopment. In 2022, the renovation and expansion of this parcel created the beautiful new Hero Hope Garden which includes a community food forest with fruit trees, plants and raised bed gardens; pathways that curve around the parcel with sitting spaces; a greenhouse for community and educational use; and community meeting and gathering space. The Hero Hope Garden in Dorchester REGION 2 NEW JERSEY— The 85-acre former Harrison Avenue Landfill, located in Camden's Cramer Hill neighborhood, operated as a municipal landfill for nearly two decades before it was abandoned in the early 1970s. For several years in the early 2000s, the Camden Redevelopment Agency was awarded state and federal funding for remediation and landfill closure costs. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight of the remediation of 62 acres of the site. The project was also funded by the State of New Jersey and focused on protecting the shoreline, closing the landfill, restoring natural resources, and constructing the new park. Part of the park's makeover included stabilizing more than 3,000 feet of shoreline along the river, expanding the existing freshwater wetlands and preserving wooded areas that will serve as forage habitats for a variety of wildlife. The Cramer Hill Waterfront Park opened in 2021 and provides many environmental health benefits, restores water access, provides recreational opportunities, and creates opportunities for community engagement for Camden residents. Cramer Hill features an array of amenities such as such a fishing plaza, hiking and biking trails, a kayak launch, a picnic area, a playground, a sensory garden and shoreline observation areas with views of downtown Camden, the Delaware River, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and the Philadelphia skyline. Camden's Cramer Hill Waterfront Park. REGION 3 PENNSYLVANIA—A three-acre site that formerly was home to Miller's Trailer Park for over 50 years in Bristol Township was abandoned in the mid-2000s. The township purchased the property and demolished and removed the trailer homes and prepared it for redevelopment. In 2014, the township made plans to sell the property to a developer to build nearly 40 townhomes on the site; however, that deal never happened and there were suggestions of potential contamination. In 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct a site assessment on the property. The site assessment revealed no contamination, and the property was made ready for redevelopment. In 2022, CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding April/May/June 2023 ------- the Bristol Township was awarded a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grant that will help fund creation of the new Cedar Avenue Park on the property The passive recreational park is currently being developed and includes attractive landscaping and shady trees, a rain garden and stormwater management, a paved walking and biking trail, and much needed open green space for the surrounding neighborhood and community. REGION 4 TENNESSEE—Two brownfield parcels of land totaling 3.58 acres just outside of downtown Nashville are being redeveloped as a complex known as The Silos. One of the parcels was historically used as a grain storage facility and feed mill from the early 1900s. The adjacent second parcel was recently home to an ethanol transfer facility. This project, which is in the third phase of redevelopment of this area centers around the historic grain silos. In 2016, the site joined the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup. During site investigation, elevated levels of metals, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), naphthalene and benzene were found. To address these contaminants, a Soil Management Plan was put into place prior to removal of contaminated soil. In 2020, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation used Section 128(a) Response Program Funding to provide oversight of the installation of a vapor mitigation system. As a result, the site has been investigated and remediated for commercial redevelopment, specifically for retail and restaurant space. The site will be an expansion of the Stocking 51 mixed-use development, which is located to the west of the property and houses multiple local businesses, restaurants, a construction company, and coffee shop. The old grain silos will be saved and re-purposed to highlight the site's industrial past. The multi-story, three building, new construction will wrap around the silos with a ground level plaza area, providing connectivity to the neighborhood. REGION 5 ILLINOIS— The City of Rockford used Section 128(a) Response Program resources in order to facilitate the redevelopment of a large, abandoned factory along the Rock River in downtown Rockford into a new sports facility. Rockford utilized almost $2 million of U.S. EPA Brownfields Grants (Assessment, Cleanup and Revolving Loan Fund, and Section 128(a) Response Program funding) to fund environmental studies, planning, and remediation for the adaptive reuse of over 100,000 square feet of buildings, a 5-acre site, and 1,000 feet of riverfront for the new redevelopment. Site work included petroleum remediation, asbestos removal, and reestablishing the engineered barrier after raising the floor 12 inches to address 100-year flood plain issues to start the transformation of this defunct industrial property into the new indoor UW Health Sports Factory, complete with a new riverside boardwalk. In addition, EPA funds leveraged Illinois Rivers Edge Redevelopment Zone funds, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster funds, and local funds for the riverfront restoration. The new riverfront boardwalk now connects the UW Health Sports Factory to a new biking and walking path converted from an abandoned Illinois Railway bridge. While the immediate benefit of the pedestrian bridge will be indoor sports tourism, the trail will strengthen the city's connection to the Grand Illinois Trail, a 500-plus-mile loop of northern Illinois between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River that runs through downtown Rockford. UW Health Sports Factory in Rockford. TEXAS—Constructed in 1966, a building in North Austin served as a mixed residential and commercial area for many decades. In the mid-2000s, the property fell into disrepair and remained vacant for several years. In 2019, Project Transitions purchased property to provide affordable housing in North Austin neighborhood. Project Transitions is a nonprofit dedicated to serving people with HIV and AIDS by providing supportive living, housing, recuperative care and hospice in compassionate and caring environments. In 2021, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight of the assessment of the property before the original building was demolished and removed from the property. The new Project Transitions facility has 61 affordable, supportive living apartment homes with community space, a food pantry, a health clinic, and a community garden. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding April/May/June 2023 ------- REGION 7 REGION 9 MISSOURI—Beginning in 2012, Kansas City assisted the Mattie Rhodes Center (MRC), a local community arts and educational non-profit organization, in efforts to consolidate its facilities and develop a new permanent home in the Westside Neighborhood for a community center and studio exhibit space. As a part of a later facility expansion, MRC purchased several commercial vacant properties adjacent to its center. In 2020, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversite of the assessment and cleanup of the properties. The environmental assessment soil sample results indicated soil samples contained arsenic, lead, and cadmium concentrations exceeding Missouri Risk-Based Corrective Action (MRBCA) Risk-Based Target Levels (RBTLs), Throughout the cleanup process, MRC and MDNR remained dedicated to achieving cleanup standards that went beyond acceptable non-residential use levels to meet residential cleanup levels that are safe for children who will visit center. Expansion construction on the cultural arts center began in Summer 2021 and was completed in March 2022. The new center greatly expands MRC's mission to educate and engage local youth in the arts and exhibit its nationally significant collection of folk art. Mattie Rhodes Community and Arts Center. REGION 8 CROW CREEK SIOUX TRIBE—A property owned by Crow Creek Sioux Tribe was historically used as office buildings and housing. In 2021, the Tribe used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an initial assessment on the property. Asbestos was found throughout the building, in the ceiling panels, drywall and tiles, and vermiculite insulation in the attic. In addition, samples also identified meth contamination in several rooms. The Tribe then used additional Section 128(a) funding to conduct asbestos removal in the building and in the soil before the building was demolished. The Tribe is in the process of constructing a new affordable housing apartment building on the site. ARIZONA—Within the heart of Tempe, a former industrial site adjacent to a lake sat vacant for nearly a decade. Due to the site's location and its potential to create thousands of jobs, the City of Tempe wanted to create a biotechnology campus to incubate potential startups, provide a space for large corporate relocations, and maintain the previously established synergy with Arizona State University (ASU). In 2021, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee the assessment and cleanup of the property. The cleanup included the excavation and removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contaminated soil. The 15-acre property is now being redeveloped into a district that will support the city's initiatives to build a more urbanized and sustainable community, while creating more opportunities for ASU and within the biotech industry. REGION 10 OREGON—The Wagstaff Battery Company operated in North Portland's Eliot neighborhood for many decades before going out of business in the late 1990s. The one-story building was later repurposed as a job training center in the early 2000s before that city-run program changed locations. After sitting vacant for several years, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to work with the city and oversee the assessment and cleanup of the manufacturing past. In 2021, the property was redeveloped into a 61-unit, certified LEED-Gold for sustainability, affordable housing building. The property was developed in partnership with the Portland Housing Bureau, Home Forward, and Multnomah County. The investment in the community helped to create a healthy neighborhood while providing deeply affordable housing in a historically underserved neighborhood. Affordable Housing Apartments in Portland. ^EPA united states CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding April/May/June 2023 EPA S60-F-23-348 Environmental Protection Agency ------- |