Grant to help Wayne clean up brownfields

A $400,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency is on its way to Wayne County as part of a revitalization program.

The money will be used to conduct an assessment study that will determine how many abandoned industrial and commercial properties throughout the county could be considered brownfields sites. A brownfields site is a property that can not be redeveloped or reused because of the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

Sue Farmer, facilities services director for Wayne County, applied for the grant and said she believes the county has at least 100 sites that will qualify as brownfields sites. Farmer first learned about the grants at a Council of Governments workshop in 2009. She then contacted Goldsboro City Planning Director Randy Guthrie regarding sites in the city.

"After talking with him, I felt like we would have enough sites to do it countywide," Farmer said. She and a staff member spoke with representatives from all the municipalities throughout the county, asking if they had sites that could potentially qualify.

"Then I put together a proposal, asked for $400,000 to conduct the assessment and we found out that we will be getting the money," she said. "This phase will assess sites, and after we finish the assessment phase – which will probably take about 18 months – we will apply for a clean-up grant."

Farmer said it was likely the county would receive a second grant for cleanup of the sites.

"Usually if you get the first one, you'll get the second grant in this situation," she said.

Wayne County was one of four North Carolina local governments announced as grant recipients on April 21. The cities of Charlotte, Whiteville and Wilson were the others.

In the county's acceptance letter, David R. Louyd, director of the EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, wrote: "Wayne County submitted an outstanding grant proposal, and we deeply appreciate the tremendous commitment of time and energy that went into its preparation."

The brownfields program encourages redevelopment of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. These investments and jobs target local, under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed. Cleaning up these communities, which is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's priorities, leads not only to health and environmental benefits but also economic development and prosperity. For more information on EPA's brownfields program, visit www.epa.gov/brownfields.