A \ Brownfields 2005 Assessment and Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet New Brighton, MN 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 Brighton was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants and a cleanup grant. New Brighton (population 22,206) is an aging, fully built, inner ring suburb located in the northeast Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The city's economy began its growth in the late 19th Century as the Butcher's Spur area. This industry was later joined by iron rolling mills, lumber and wood treatment operations, and petroleum refineries. Many of these businesses contracted, closed, or moved away by the mid-1990s. They left behind a legacy of abandoned, underutilized, and potentially contaminated properties and an aging population. From 1990 to 2000, the number of residents over the age of 65 increased by more than 40 percent. This aging population, in turn, has affected the city's economy. Growth in the per capita income in New Brighton is 25 percent lower than the state's per capita growth. Assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of the city's brownfields are critical to its ability to accomplish the goals of its master plan for economic and community development. A new corporate campus planned for a Fortune 500 medical technology company in the Northwest Quadrant Redevelopment Area is expected to bring at least 2,000 new high-paying jobs during development and to employ 5,000 people when it is completed. The city plans to complement this facility Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of New Brighton for two brownfields assessment grants. Grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, perform health risk assessments, and draft response action plans for both hazardous substances and petroleum sites in the Northwest Quadrant Redevelopment Area. There are 14 distinct brownfields properties on the more than 100 acres of land that make up the quadrant. Only low-risk petroleum release sites not addressed under Minnesota's program or another high-risk petroleum program will be considered. Cleanup Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the City of New Brighton for a brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct community involvement activities and clean up the Mengelkoch and two Minnesota Transfer Railway (MT) properties. These three properties are on the former Old Miller Dump site in the Northwest Quadrant Redevelopment Area. The properties were used as a rendering plant and to support rail operations. Besides the potential soil and ground water contamination generated by these operations, it is believed that the Miller Dump waste extends onto the railway parcels. In addition, associated landfill gases have migrated onto the Mengelkoch property, on which a small dump was operated during the 1950s. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-05-104 Protection Agency Response (5105T) May 2005 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- with a range of new housing to create a mixed-use neighborhood on a portion of the redevelopment area. the EPA Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team (312) 886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds) Grant Recipient: City of New Brighton,MN (651) 638-2060 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-05-104 Protection Agency Response (5105T) May 2005 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |