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 VERMONT—Located in downtown Morrisville, the city transformed an unused, infill lot into an affordable rental apartment building. The 0.04-acre property previously housed a small, single-family house that burned down in 2006, and the surrounding area is mostly used for commercial purposes, including retail, dry- cleaning, and auto repair. In 2020, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment on the property. In 2021, the city conducted cleanup activities to excavate and dispose of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and lead contaminated soil. The property is currently being redeveloped into the 24-unit affordable housing Village Center Apartments. The building will consist of a mixture of studio, one- and two-bedroom rental apartments that include heating and utilities. Completion is scheduled for the Spring of 2022. REGION 2 NEW JERSEY—A 4.4-acre property just to the east of downtown Camden was originally developed in the 1920s as the City of Camden's Municipal Hospital for Contagious Diseases. By the 1950s the property became the South Jersey Medical Research Foundation Laboratory and Coriell Institute for Medical Research (CIMR). Between the 1950s and mid-1980s the original hospital buildings were demolished and replaced over the course of multiple phases. The property continued operations until 2007 when it shut down and became vacant. In 2016, the city took ownership of the property and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program Funding to conduct an environmental assessment on the property. In 2018, the city received an EPA Cleanup grant to address the mercury and chlorinated solvents contaminating the site's soil and groundwater. The city has since demolished the building. Once the property is fully cleaned up, it will become an extension of the adjacent Whitman Park's recreational sports fields. REGION 3 MARYLAND—In the Station North/Greenmount West neighborhood in east Baltimore, an underutilized 1-acre property sat vacant for many years. Since the 1950s, the property had been used for various commercial and industrial purposes: a vehicle paint shop, equipment yard for the adjacent Greenmount Cemetery, a warehouse, auto service station, and a thrift shop. The property is located in a community with Environmental Justice (EJ) concerns, a sustainable community, an enterprise zone, a National Register and local historic district, and the Baltimore Regional Neighborhoods Initiative plan for Central Baltimore. In 2016, the Maryland Department of the Environment used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an assessment on the property. In 2017, the city cleaned up the aboveground storage tank system in the basement, and the underground storage tanks and contaminated soil surrounding the tank area. In 2018, the property was redeveloped into the 34,000-square-foot Open Works building, a maker space that is home to a wood shop, metal shop, computer lab, 3D printer, rentable micro-studios, and a coffee roasting business. Redeveloped Open Works building in Esst Baltimore. REGION 4 ALABAMA—A 2-acre former industrial property in Center Point has been transformed into a dog park and recreation area. The former brownfieid property served as a custom iron works facility from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s. Since that time, the property has remained idle and vacant. In early 2019, the city worked with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) to use Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment on the property. In late 2019, the ADEM again used Section 128(a) funding to conduct the environmental cleanup of soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). After cleanup, in 2020, the city opened a new dog park on the property. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding July/August/September 2021 ------- REGION 5 ILLINOIS—A former concrete manufacturing facility operated just outside the City of Evanston for many decades. The facility ceased operations in the 1980s and remained idle for many years until the Evanston Animal Shelter purchased the property. In 2016, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight to environmental assessment and cleanup activities at the property. The cleanup efforts included the removal of contaminated soil in the area surrounding the site's building. After cleanup, the property continued use as an animal shelter. In addition, the City of Evanston's Forestry Department used the property's wooded area to harvest firewood for sale to Evanston residents. REGION 6 OKLAHOMA—The 175,000-square-foot First Americans Museum (FAM) is now completed and open to the public after 30 years in the making. It was first imagined in the 1990s when the Oklahoma Legislature created the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority - a state agency with the sole purpose of developing the Museum, In 2006, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment on the original 40-acre light industrial property. Between 2006 and 2012 construction started on the property and an Oklahoma bill was introduced that would commit a portion of state use tax to raise $40 million needed to complete the FAM. In 2013, the bill was approved; however, due to three major tornadoes, Oklahoma had to reallocate the money to relief efforts. In 2015, the Legislature brought up a bill that would provide $25 million through a bond issue, to be paired with matching funds, to complete the project and the city was given 143 acres surrounding the center. In 2018, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) funding to assess the additional land. In addition, the Chickasaw Nation offered to contribute $14 million over seven years to help cover costs and will underwrite a portion The First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City. of the cost to complete the center. Today, the completed FAM is operated through a partnership between the State of Oklahoma and the City of Oklahoma City, with help from a Chickasaw Nation subsidiary, the American Indian Cultural Foundation, and numerous other donors. The completed FAM's mission is to serve as a dynamic center promoting awareness and educating the broader public about the unique cultures, diversity, history, contributions, and resilience of the First American Nations in Oklahoma today. REGION 7 MISSOURI— A 295-acre former Chrysler Automotive Assembly Plant began operations in 1959 in the City of Fenton. The facility operated until 2009, making many models of Dodge and Plymouth cars, until the facility filed for bankruptcy. The property's structures were demolished in 2011 and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment. MDNR later used Section 128(a) funding in 2017 to oversee cleanup of the property. A variety of chemicals that were used in the automobile assembly process, including solvent-based paints, chlorinated solvents, petroleum, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were removed from contaminated soil. Nine underground storage tanks containing gasoline, diesel, motor oil, transmission fluid, and antifreeze, ranging in size from 15,000- to 20,000-gallons, were also removed. After cleanup was completed, the property was transformed into the Fenton Logistics Park, which is currently home to over 12 businesses. Most of the parcels have already been developed, and development is ongoing on others. The City of Fenton obtained one of the parcels and will use it for a new fire station for the Fenton Fire District. Two parcels were recently acquired by Amazon, one for a distribution center, and the other for parking of a delivery vehicle fleet, which includes electric vehicles and many charging stations. A Grand Opening ceremony for the Amazon facility was held in early June of 2021. Fenton Logistical Business Park. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding July/August/September 2021 ------- REGION 8 REGION 10 SOUTH DAKOTA—A 4.4-acre property that consists of several buildings just northwest of Sioux Falls is being redeveloped into a military museum and gun range. The property was formerly used as a pawn shop, a gun range, a concert and event venue, and as warehouse storage space; several of the buildings on the property have been vacant for many years. In 2019, the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment on the property. The assessment revealed no contamination, and the property was deemed ready for reuse. The South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance, a non- profit organization that is dedicated to providing veterans with access to exceptional health care and services and with the employment opportunities to support their families, purchased the property in 2020. Redevelopment includes relocating VFW and American Legion clubs to the property, updating the gun range, and creating a South Dakota Military Museum. The military museum is anticipated to open in 2022. REGION 9 CALIFORNIA—Nevada City has a long history of gold and quartz mining. Since the late 1800s, a property east of downtown served as a stamp mill to crush mined gold and quartz ore. The Nevada City Stamp Mill property ceased operation in the early 1950s and has been vacant since that time. In 1996 the property was acquired by the city, and in 2016 the city was awarded an EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee cleanup activities on the property, which included the excavation and removal of lead contaminated soil. In addition, a land use covenant (LUC) was established between Nevada City and the California DTSC that only allows recreational use at the property and specifically prohibits any disturbance to the soil and vegetational cap. The property has been successfully redeveloped into a public recreation park and hiking trail. SHOSHONE-BANNOCK TRIBES-The old Tribal Gas Station on the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation began operations in 1962. After many decades of service, the gas station became rundown and stopped service in the early 2000s, sitting vacant for several years. In 2020, the tribe used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment of the property. Later that year, the tribe again used Section 128(a) funding to remove the former station's two underground storage tanks and petroleum contaminated soil surrounding the tanks. After cleanup was completed, the property was covered with gravel and has an interim use as extra parking for the tribal administration building. The tribe is currently planning to redevelop the property into greenspace and a park for the community. Shoshone-Bannock tribal land. &EPA United states CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding July/August/September 2021 EPA S60-F-22-002 Environmental Protection Agency ------- |