• Community Outreach
  
  Government programs frequently struggle with the reputation of being "top-down", giving the message that the opinions of regular citizens do not matter. Being keenly aware of this risk, a guiding principle of the Support Team has been to encourage community involvement, and to use this information to build support and confidence in the city’s activities.
  

January - March 1999

Community Outreach

Community meetings were held in three different locations to begin building awareness and participation in the revitalization process. Efforts concentrated on informing property owners, merchants, residents, and other interested parties about the city’s EPA Brownfields pilot program and to solicit community input for redevelopment suggestions.

A special meeting was held with 9 of the 10 local bank commercial loan departments to discuss the city’s economic development initiatives and to identify solutions for redevelopment.

• Project Management Team
  
  Tours of the Liberty Street Corridor were given to Winston-Salem community leaders to lay the groundwork for financial support and create partnerships. A road show was underway as the Support Team identified stakeholder groups and gave numerous presentations so that positive talk about redevelopment was heard at all levels of the community.
  

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April - June 1999

Environmental Action

With the Support Team successfully starting to gain the confidence of community and business leaders, the next step was to identify a consulting firm to conduct environmental site assessments. The addition of this resource provided a clearer picture of the environmental situation. Research was conducted to determine the condition of the soil, the health of the natural resource base and what if any left over environmental pollutants could pose a problem.

• Community Outreach
  
  The team remained committed to keeping the lines of communication open and strong. Presentations were made to such groups as the Black Leadership Roundtable, the Mayor's Summit for Minority Economic Development and property owners along Liberty Street, who were growing more curious about the increasing interest in their neighborhood.
  
• Environmental Education
  
  The director of the city department overseeing the Brownfields program met with the principal of the Downtown Middle School ("DTMS"), which is located at 280 S. Liberty Street, to discuss ways of incorporating the Liberty Street Brownfields Project into the school curriculum. The Brownfields team met with the DTMS sixth grade teachers to review the Liberty Street Brownfields Project initiatives and brainstorm environmental education themes for the upcoming school year.
  

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July - September 1999

A Vote of Confidence

The City of Winston-Salem was awarded a $3 Million Brownfields Economic Development Initiative ("BEDI") grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the proposed Airport Business Park ("ABP") located along the Liberty Street Corridor. Several meetings took place with developers as well as with the director of the Smith Reynolds Airport to explain the BEDI grant.

• Environmental Action
  
  The project team members identified and selected the properties that would be the initial focus of the redevelopment. The environmental consulting firm hired by the city, conducted preliminary activities for Phase I environmental site assessments of properties located in the proposed ABP area. A preliminary Phase I site assessment was initiated for the properties in project area.
  
• Environmental Education
  
  Three experiential activities were designed and conducted for sixth grade students at the DTMS. The first activity introduced the Brownfields program to students and provided an overview about the Brownfields assessment process and goals. Next was a popular activity called "Why even test?" Students were shown how to use linear scales to weigh several environmental factors that help define the conditions under which humans live. These included such things as temperature, elevation, moisture, food types, light, and oxygen content. The third activity illustrated the impact of consumerism on energy consumption, natural resource use, waste stream development and the economic impact of land re-use. Students brought items from home and were asked to walk through the steps of producing the product, from gathering raw materials, to disposing the item.
  

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October - December, 1999

Community Outreach

The team began planning a Web site that would represent the many facets of the Brownfields project as well as serve as an extension of the physical community.

Tours continued of the Liberty Street Brownfields Project area for 96 business, civic, and government leaders participating in the Leadership Winston-Salem program.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was consulted on how the Corps could assist with the Winston-Salem Brownfields Project.

• Environmental Details
  
  A comprehensive review began using the regulatory databases for sites within search radii of Liberty Street Corridor. Sources cited included: The National Priorities List (NPL); The North Carolina Sites Priority List (SPL); The Inactive Hazardous Sites program list; The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) list; and The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) lists of Transport, Storage and Disposal (TSD) facilities and generators.
  
  Property owners within the project area were provided with site access agreements and letters of explanation. Additional contacts were made with various property owners to negotiate site access for environmental assessments.
  
• Environmental Education
  
  Students and teachers from the DTMS toured the Liberty Street Corridor Brownfields Pilot Project area. Subsequently, some students prepared written reports about the Brownfields tour. More learning activities introduced DTMS students to a variety of concepts relating to soil and groundwater sampling. At this point in the curriculum, members of the Support Team interviewed the DTMS kids for their interpretation of Brownfields. Visit the KidZone on this Web site for fresh and insightful perspectives of how communities can deal with Brownfields.
  

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January 1 - March 31, 2000

Community Outreach

Using various media, the team has contacted hundreds of residents, property owners, and business owners in the Liberty Street Brownfields project area. The Brownfields project is proving to be a vital part of the City’s on-going revitalization efforts in this area.

The Winston-Salem Brownfields project has expanded to include the entire Enterprise Community area. This effort is an important step in attracting developers and businesses.

Design work is well underway on the Brownfields Web site. Special effort is being made to insure that the site reflects the dynamic and innovative nature of the entire Brownfields program. Members of the Support Team are working with a Web site planning and design group for the purposes of using the Winston-Salem site as a model for other municipalities throughout North Carolina as well as the United States.

• Environmental Education
  
  Members of the Support Team have met to strategize on how to best apply the DTMS learning experience as model program for other schools.
  
  
• Environmental Action
  
  A tally has been developed of sites from Seventh Street to Twelfth Street with potential for Brownfields redevelopment. The environmental firm and city leaders met with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Waste Management, Superfund Section to discuss various issues concerning the North Carolina Brownfields program. Questions about the federal and state Brownfields programs have been recurrent among property owners with whom direct contact has been made. In particular, owners have questions and need answers concerning potential liability issues.
  

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