San
Diego Union Tribune — June 6, 2011
By Mike Lee, Reporter – Environment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday plans to award $200,000 to the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation for renovating a site polluted by pesticides and lead.
The grant is part of a $76 million national initiative to clean up the nation’s 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites, called brownfields. The program targets under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods where the EPA says environmental restoration and new jobs are most needed.
The Jacobs Center is part of a family foundation dedicated to improving an area of about 90,000 residents in Southeast San Diego referred to as the Diamond Neighborhoods, including Chollas View and Webster. Its project involves removing 12,000 cubic yards of tainted soil from a former industrial site. It’s not clear when the project will start because the group still needs to raise about a third of the $25 million overall project cost.
“This funding will rid the soils of contamination at this site, the first step in the construction of green, affordable rental homes,” said a statement by Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator. “We are pleased to collaborate with the Jacobs Center and the San Diego Redevelopment Agency in their efforts to revitalize the Diamond Neighborhoods. The results will prove that a cleaner environment can sustain a healthier community, bringing new opportunities and new jobs.”
The houses will be built near the corner of Market and Euclid streets near public transit lines using water conservation devices, solar power and drought-resistant landscaping. They are part of the Village at Market Creek, a much larger mixed-use development planned for 60 acres. Buy cheap generic Accutane from online pharmacies on this page http://howmed.net/accutane-isotretinoin/, prices will surprise you and you will get bonuses.
Last year, EPA awarded the Jacobs Center a $175,000 grant as one of 23 recipients nationwide of the Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Pilot Program.
Kristine Breese with the Jacobs Center said federal support is critical. “This is going to take a public-private partnership to revitalize this community,” she said.
Original article can be found at http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jun/06/polluted-site-gets-federal-funds-cleanup/
The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation is a non-profit foundation that operates on the premise that residents must own and drive the change that takes place in their community for it to be meaningful and long-lasting. JCNI explores new pathways to change through entrepreneurial relationships, hands-on training, and the creative investment of resources.