Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet

Bible Baptist Church, Savannah, GA

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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Bible Baptist Church for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the former Martha's Drycleaner site located at 4608 Skidaway Road in Savannah. The site is a 1.5-acre former drycleaner that operated from 1986 to 2000. Grant funds will be used to address soil contaminated with chlorinated solvents. Grant funds also will be used to support community involvement activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Bible Baptist Church was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The targeted former Martha's Drycleaner site is in the Savannah State neighborhood (population 1,392), where more than 21 percent of residents live below the poverty level, and 72.4 percent of residents are minorities. Today, the site is a rundown, vacant strip mall that is viewed by local residents as a blight on the community. The presence of tetrachloroethene at the site poses a potential threat to human health and the environment. Once cleanup is completed, Bible Baptist Church intends to build a community center next to the site that will offer day care and counseling services. The site itself will be used as a parking area for the community center and as greenspace. It is expected that brownfields redevelopment will increase area property values and provide new employment opportunities 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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8792
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Bible Baptist Church, GA
912-352-3020

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.