GETTING A HEAD STARTON ARC GRANTS CCLR...PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, and vinyl chloride (VC) • Transaction put on hold until obtained a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with DEQ (limits

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GETTING A HEAD START ONARC GRANTS

June 2016

CENTER FOR CREATIVE LAND RECYCLING

• Workshops• Technical Assistance: EPA TAB grantee• Policy & Research• Consulting• Online at www.cclr.org

Sarah [email protected]

Ignacio Dayrit415.398.1080 | [email protected]

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POLLING QUESTIONS

•What type(s) of ARC grant(s) did you apply for this year?

•Who prepared your ARC application?

PRESENTERS & AGENDA

• The low down – what happened?• ARC findings, guidelines & tips redux• Three recent grantees’ stories

• Amberdawn La France & Julia Jacobs | Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe

• Jenn Bildersee | City of Portland, OR• Sean Farrelly | City of Tigard, OR

• What’s next?• Q&A

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POLLING QUESTIONS

•Prior to this year, have you ever received an ARC grant?

•Not including this year, how many times have you applied for ARC funds?

ASSESSMENT, RLF & CLEANUP – ARC

Targeted Brownfields Assessments

Area-Wide Planning

Assessment Grants

Cleanup Grants

Revolving Loan Fund

Grants

Job Training Grants

https://www.epa.gov/grants/fy2017-brownfields-area-wide-planning-grant

AWP WebinarJune 16 12:30 – 2:00 EDT

http://epawebconferencing.acms.com/fy17bf_awp/Phone - 866-299-3188Code - 202 566 0633#

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LESSONS FROM 2016

Year# Communities

# Grants** $MAwarded Applied %

2016 131 423 31 218 55.22015 147 449 33 243 54.3 (no RLF)

2014 171 491 35 267 64.0

• Some communities submit multiple applications • ** Cleanup applications considered separately• ** Many community-wide grants considered as two• $10M less available for assessment and cleanup from

2015

LESSONS FROM 2016

• Every point counts• Most points unrealized on:

• Not answering all questions, succinctly• Leveraging• Not having a good story• Impacts→ Project→ Outcomes/Benefits• Project description• Programmatic capability→ Outputs

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IMPACTSDirect/IndirectMeasured by

Indicators

ENVIRONMENTALPoor Air Quality

Dirty Surface waterToxic GroundwaterContaminated Soil

Traffic

HEALTH & WELFAREPoor Pedestrian Safety

High AsthmaHigh Diabetes

Poor Heart HealthCrime

ECONOMICUnrealized revenues

Depressed tax revenueResponse costs

Telling the Story

OUTCOMESDirect/Indirect

ENVIRONMENTALImproved Air QualityClean Surface waterSafe Groundwater

Healthy SoilLess Congestion

HEALTH & WELAFREPedestrian Friendly

Lower AsthmaLower Diabetes

Good Heart HealthPublic safety

ECONOMICNew revenuesTax increment

Less response costs

Telling the Story

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PROPOSAL GUIDELINES OVERVIEW

• Late Summer/Early Fall guidelines released• Webinars and workshops• 15 page proposals + attachments• Submit on grants.gov• Threshold criteria: pass/fail• Ranking criteria• May 2017 announcement

GET STARTED EARLY

• Read last years’ Guidelines• Many tips in the FAQs• Address Threshold Criteria ASAP• www.tabez.org for template & proposals• Efforts + Leveraging• Team + Partners + Champion• Contact EPA/CCLR/State partners• 60 days is not enough for all the above

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WRITING & DATA TIPS

• Write for a national audience• Steinbeck with stats• ‘Fess up – don’t beat around the bush• Wandering takes up precious space• Minimize negatives and unnecessary adjectives and adverbs

DATA SOURCES

• Your COG, EDD, MPO, health & environmental agency• www.epa.gov/Ejscreen• datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/ • www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ • statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/ • www.niddk.nih.gov/Pages/• minorityhealth.hhs.gov/. • www.ihs.gov/hpdp/index.cfm • www.census.gov/acs/www/ • www.bls.gov/bls/unemployment.htm.

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BENEFITS & OUTCOME TIPS

• Talk to agencies who may benefit from the program/project

• Police, fire, public works, health, economic development, parks, housing

• If space is available, do both economic and non- economic benefits

• Back up your projections with data and policy/practice

PARTNER & SUSTAINABILITY TIPS

• Best to have a champion that is not staff• Identify the sustainable and livability

aspects of your policies, plans, and practices

• Is your project is consistent with these goals?• Build on existing work; i.e.

• Affordable housing, Transit oriented development, Commercial revitalization, Open space

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ST. REGIS MOHAWK TRIBEA Story of Grant Success

Presented by Julia Jacobs and Amberdawn Lafrance

AKWESASNE: COMMUNITY-WIDEPETROLEUM ASSESSMENT

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GRANT OBJECTIVES

• Not regulated by NYS• Tanks and piping not removed

when stations closed• Community plagued with

abandoned stations• The overall objectives for this

grant is to identify all of our abandoned gas stations and marina’s, rank them based on criteria developed by our own community, and conduct Environmental Assessments on as many sites as possible.

BROWNFIELDS EXPERIENCE

• Past Brownfields Grant Applications• 128(a) Tribal Response Program since 2010• Unsuccessful Environmental Workforce Development and

Job Training Grant in 2013• Unsuccessful Community Wide Petroleum Assessment

Proposal in 2015• RLF along with 128(a) that was declined in 2015

• 128(a)• Developed and trained our staff of 8 people• Extensive grant writing and program development training• Collected significant community input• Identified our vital natural resources • Identified potential Brownfields sites and their influences

on these resources• Developed a process for prioritization based on community

input

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WHO WORKED ON THE PROPOSAL?• “Strategic Grant Development Writing

Workshop” by Edward Wollman in 2011• Technical Assistance to Brownfields EZ by KSU• SRMT Staff

• Brownfields Team• 7 Staff involved in writing and reviewing

• Tribal Grant Development Specialist –Review• Consultant

• Maine & New Hampshire PG –Write and Review

• CCLR Review• ***Debriefing with our EPA Project

Manager

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

• Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club• Akwesasne Chamber of

Commerce• Akwesasne Task Force on the

Environment• Akwesasne Cultural Center

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CONNECTING THE DOTSWHAT WE LEARNED FROM THIS PROCESS…

• Impacts: SRMT suffers emotionally, physically, and economically from Brownfields contributing blight, poverty, devaluation of property, discouragement of investment, unemployment, health issues, and attraction to vandalism.

• Project: Identify, rank, and investigate potential environmental hazards from abandoned gas stations and marinas.

• Benefits: One main goal of the SRMT Brownfields Program is to protect the natural resources in our area that carry a significance to our culture. The reduction or elimination of these natural resources through impacts from Brownfields negatively affects SRMT’s historical culture, livelihood, and overall lifestyle.

TIPS / COMMENTS

• What worked:1. Tribal staff working together and knowing our

community2. Working with a consultant to help with

understanding grant guidelines and proposal format3. Training & Review

• What didn’t:• Ran out of time• Partnership letters• Not enough details• Not enough input

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WORKING WITH CCLR

• Reactions to CCLR’s recommendations• Easy and quick• Very helpful• Responded to almost all

recommendations

• What you would do differently?• Submit proposal earlier• Attend more CCLR

Trainings/Workshop/Webinars

CITY OF PORTLANDBROWNFIELD PROGRAM

Jenn [email protected]

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COMMUNITY BACKGROUND

• Target area: East Portland

East Portland

Portland

Population 147,347 609,456Unemployment, Oct 2014 N/A 6.1 %% below poverty level 19.1 % 17.8 %% Nonwhite 33.0 % 23.9 %Median Household Income $42,500 $52,657% 18 or younger 27.4 % 19.1 %% 5 or younger 6.8 % 6.0 %% 65 or older 15.2 % 10.4 %

OREGON

TARGET: COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS

• East Portland has 118 sites -306 acres - with an existing DEQ record• East Portland’s development pattern for the car: low-density

commercial corridors with numerous vacant and underutilized sites (former gas stations, automotive service, dry cleaners, manufacturing)

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ARC EXPERIENCE

• Portland Brownfield Program since EPA Brownfield Showcase grant in 1998

• Past EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant funding in 2003, 2005, 2008, and 2011

• Recipient of two EPA Cleanup Grants and a 2011 Revolving Loan Fund

• Unsuccessful grant application in 2015• Full-time brownfield program coordinator funded

by City of Portland – writes grant applications

OUR GENERAL TIMELINE

(1) Developed goals internally, and discussed plans with potential partners(2) Started with previous grant template – but if you don’t have that, start with last year’s guidelines(3) Filled in all the easily accessible information(4) Provided draft letters of support to partners(5) Identified gaps; slowly filled with research(6) Sent drafts to CCLR and internal reviewers(7) Revised and submitted 3 days ahead

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TIPS

• Start building community and agency relationships early – long before you are working on your grant.

• Get a working draft started before the grant is announced by EPA (now is good).

• Extra time will help you identify and gather missing data like hard-to-track-down demographics, health statistics.

• Make use of available resources like EPA webinars and CCLR review.

• If you procrastinate, it will annoy people. And then you will have to work with those same people for the next three years.

• If you aren’t successful, get a debrief. Then try again.

IT’S WORTH IT

More than 65 properties totaling over 74 acres assessed and/or cleaned up since the program began in 1998 

11 parks, public spaces, school and community gardens planted or planned on former brownfields with our assistance 

17 nonprofits serving Portland communities aided by brownfield grants 

21 small business owners provided with PBP assessment grants for necessary environmental work on their properties 

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CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OFTHE CITY OF TIGARD

CLEANUP GRANT FOR MAINSTREET/FANNO CREEK PROPERTY

Sean Farrelly, Redevelopment Project ManagerCity Center Development Agency of the City of Tigard

CITY OF TIGARD

• Population: 50,787• Median Household

Income: $62,576• Incorporated: 1961• First ring suburb of

Portland (about 10 miles southwest of Portland city center)

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CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CCDA) 

• Urban renewal district approved by voters in 2006. CCDA implements plan

• $22 million in projects over 20 years

• Funds raised in district (tax increment financing)  are spent in district on urban renewal projects

BROWNFIELDS IN TIGARD

• City awarded $400,000 EPA Assessment Grant in 2014 (petroleum and hazardous substances)

• Inventory identified 200 potential sites of interest citywide

• Assessment work on Main Street/ Fanno Creek site utilized grant

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MAIN STREET/ FANNO CREEK PROPERTY

• Agency interested in redeveloping the site due to its prominent location on Main Street and (partially over) Fanno Creek

• Historic uses included auto repair, saw mill. Adjacent uses: dry cleaner

• Due diligence in 2013 discovered contamination-PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, and vinyl chloride (VC)

• Transaction put on hold until obtained a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with DEQ (limits city’s liability)

• Property acquired with PPA in 2015

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Main Street /Fanno Creek propertiesA Tigard Mixed Use / Public Space Design

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EPA CLEAN-UP GRANT

• Early on identified EPA as a potential source to facilitate the site’s redevelopment

• Draft ABCA and public meeting• Grant narrative written by city staff, with

consultant assistance with technical aspects (contamination description, clean-up task descriptions

• Made a lot of connections to planning and leveraging of projects

• CCLR review extremely valuable

STARTING EARLY…• EPA, state & partners

• Before guidelines released

• Debrief, if applicable• Threshold• Work on your story• CCLR assistance

• Two reviews most beneficial• Now until…• First review @ one month

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POLLING QUESTIONS

•On a scale of 1 (unlikely) to 5 (definitely), how likely is it that you will apply for ARC?

•Survey Questions to follow in pop-up window/email – we appreciate your responses!

THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGQUESTIONS?• AWP

• https://www.epa.gov/grants/fy2017-brownfields-area-wide-planning-grant

• Webinar - June 16 12:30 – 2:00 EDT• http://epawebconferencing.acms.com/fy17bf_aw

p/• Phone - 866-299-3188 Code - 202 566 0633#

• Contact your:• EPA region• State environmental agency• CCLR.org, email or enter info in chat box

• [email protected]• [email protected]

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SPEAKER CONTACT INFO

• Sarah Sieloff, CCLR• Phone: 415.398.1080 x110• Email: [email protected]

• Ignacio Dayrit, CCLR• Phone: 415.398.1080 x107• Email: [email protected]

• Amberdawn Lafrance, St Regis Mohawk Tribe• Phone: 518.358.5937 x134• Email: [email protected]

SPEAKER CONTACT INFO (CONT.)• Julia Jacobs, St Regis Mohawk Tribe

• Phone: 518.358.5937 x126• Email: [email protected]

• Jenn Bildersee, City of Portland, OR• Phone: 503.823.7764• Email: [email protected]

• Sean Farrelly, City of Tigard, WA• Phone: 503.718.2420• Email: [email protected]