EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, Tribal Nations, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites. 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. The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2018, was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through five competitive grant programs: Multipurpose Grants, 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.
$1,200,000
EPA has selected Summit County to lead a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct 30 Phase I and 20 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare five Area-Wide Plans for each target area and conduct community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on the Romig Road Corridor, Akron Airport Area, Cuyahoga Falls/North Akron Area, Akron Summit Lake, and the Innerbelt Area. Priority sites include a 49-acre property used as a construction yard in the Romig Road Corridor, a 2-acre former car garage, a vacant 7-acre former machine component manufacturing site, and the 1.7-acre former Ace Akron Rubber Property. Non-lead coalition members include the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation, the City of Cuyahoga Falls, the Ohio and Erie Canalway, and the City of Akron.