Save the Date

• May 5-7, 2008 EPA National Brownfields Conference - Detroit, MI
• Jun. 11, 2008 Natl. Assoc. of Local Government Environmental Professionals Brownfield Workshop - Largo, FL
• Oct. 26-28, 2008 Florida Brownfields Conference - St. Pete Beach, FL

Last week, Pinellas County's Brownfield Programheld a public hearing for the designation of the Dansville Brownfield area. The designation is a part of the ongoing community improvements that are revitalizing this historic neighborhood.

On Oct. 3, 1992, a tornado swept through Pinellas Park and Largo, touched down in the Dansville area and destroyed 26 homes. The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) allocated emergency federal funding to assist the community with post-tornado clean-up and rebuilding efforts. In 1995, the BCC designated the neighborhood as a Revitalization Area, thereby allowing an interdepartmental task team to design and implement a comprehensive redevelopment plan for the neighborhood.

Dansville is a unique neighborhood with a semi-rural character, rich African-American history and close-knit community ties. The area encompasses 68 acres and approximately 60 homes and is part of the larger African-American community known as the Greater Ridgecrest Area. The BCC's accomplishments in Dansville have included infrastructure improvements, resolved title defects, approved subdivision plats, and land acquisition for future residential development.

The brownfield designation will provide additional funding for improvement activities in the Dansville area. These funding sources come from federal and state programs and include incentives such as the Building Materials Tax Credit, which provides for a tax credit on the sales taxes paid on building materials for affordable housing projects. There are also grant funds available for environmental cleanup activities in designated brownfield areas.

Pinellas County continues to work at solving community challenges by taking a collaborative approach and developing creative solutions to keep our neighborhoods family-friendly.

We'd like to share several Brownfield Success Stories with our readers. When discussing regulatory programs, it is always helpful to see how communities can successfully use federal and state funding to improve their neighborhoods.

· Our first success story is about a Habitat for Humanity building materials recycling facility. Click here to read more: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/dickinson_county_assessment_grant.pdf

· Our second success story is a redevelopment project in Houston, Texas in which an old hospital was converted to artists' lofts in a theatre district. Click here to read more: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/houston_tx_BRAG.pdf

· Our third success story describes how Sacramento, California saved a community garden that was used by the neighborhood for over 40 years. Click here to read more: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/sacramento_ca_BRAG.pdf

How can you create your own Brownfield Success Story? If you see vacant properties in your neighborhood that are not being redeveloped because of environmental stigma, call the Pinellas County Brownfield Business Development Manager at (727) 464-7319 to discuss community revitalization opportunities.

Girl Scout Troop number 592 from Lakeland is the latest troop to earn the Brownfield Spotter Patch. The girls were guests at the 2007 Annual Florida Brownfield Conference in Orlando last November. The troop learned about Brownfield basics and the scouts were able to talk to many Brownfield cleanup experts such as geologists, scientists, and laboratory specialists. They also had a special opportunity to meet with Representative Trudi K. Williams of Florida's House District 75 near Ft. Myers. In the future, the scouts of Troop 592 plan to facilitate the cleanup of a Brownfield in their own community. You go girls!