Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet

Meriden, CT

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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, the President 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.

ASSESSMENT GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected the City of Meriden for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct a citywide inventory of brownfields sites, perform approximately five to ten Phase I site assessments, and perform Phase II site assessments at priority sites. Funds will also be used to conduct community outreach activities and to devise a redevelopment plan for a site that already has been assessed.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Meriden was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Since the 1950s, this small, urban community (population 58,244) has lost much of its manufacturing base, resulting in continual erosion of its tax base. The recession and collapse of the real estate market in the early 1990s further impacted the city's ability to generate revenues. Hard economic times and disinvestment in real property have left the city with a disproportionate number of brownfields sites. Over the past few years, the city has demolished about 350 abandoned buildings to address threats to public health and safety. African-Americans and Hispanics comprise about 30 percent of the city's population, and nearly 60 percent of its inner city neighborhoods. Meriden's per capita income is less than 74 percent of the state average. Reuse of brownfields sites is expected to create opportunities for Meriden's most sensitive populations by attracting new investment, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life for residents.

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 at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1221
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

Grant Recipient: Meriden, CT
203-630-4151

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.