I JBt? | Brownfields 2011 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet \7% Medina, OH 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. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this 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 Medina was selected to receive a brownfields assessment coalition grant. The city's coalition partners are the Townships of Medina, Montville, Lafayette, and York, and the Chippewa Lake Village (combined coalition population 52,232). Medina is in northeast Ohio 30 miles south of Cleveland. Medina grew with the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in the 1830s and the arrival of the first railroads in the 1860s. These modes of transport increased the city's ability to move agricultural and manufactured products to and from the region, and the city was once known as a center for beekeeping. The primary beekeeping company now produces candles. Current economic conditions have resulted in lower incomes, job losses, and reduction of municipal budgets. In the last two years, unemployment has increased 40 percent, and poverty rates have increased more than 50 percent since 2000. Investigations have identified 300 acres of brownfields in the area, including several close to the West Branch Rocky River. Brownfield assessments will help the city identify human health risks, and are expected to catalyze redevelopment and generate interest in site reuse. Assessment Grant $500,000 for hazardous substances $500,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of Medina for a brownfields assessment coalition grant. Hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct 20 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, develop up to five cleanup plans, and support 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 5 Brownfields Team (312) 886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds) Grant Recipient: City of Medina,OH 330-722-9023 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 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-128-091 May 2011 ------- |