Brownfields Success Story

Strengthening Shubuta

A Brownfields Coalition Boosts 

Community in Clarke County, Mississippi

Located in east-central Mississippi, Clarke County (population 17,200) is 

a rural area with an agricultural base in cotton cultivation. At the turn of 

the 21st century, the county’s economy also was driven by electric engine 

equipment and textile manufacturing. However, when several plants 

closed, more than 10 percent of county residents lost their jobs, and 

blighted, vacant and underused brownfields were created.

Officials in Quitman, the Clarke County seat, mobilized other county 

leaders to reinvigorate the economy. “We spent hours planning 

redevelopment strategies,” says Quitman Mayor Eddie Fulton. “When 

developers inquiring about an abandoned property asked whether an 

environmental site assessment had been conducted, we began to focus 

more on the redevelopment of brownfields.”

The Opportunity

In 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Quitman 

a $400,000 Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. The Quitman 

Brownfields Coalition included representatives from the city, the 

county and the towns of Enterprise, Stonewall and Shubuta. The 

coalition took inventory of brownfields and prioritized cleanup and 

redevelopment projects. In Shubuta, the coalition identified two 

opportunities for investment. 

Two Projects in Shubuta

The nonprofit Shubuta Outreach Family Clinic was built at the site of 

a former gas station. When some underground storage tanks began 

to leak, the clinic faced closure due to the steep fines from local 

environmental authorities and significant investment needed to remove 

the tanks. The Quitman Brownfields Coalition agreed to use its grant 

resources to address the tank issues on the site, funding both Phase I 

The Quitman Brownfields Coalition helped 

clear the way for development of the 

Shubuta Senior Citizens Center. 

EPA Grant Recipient: 

Quitman Brownfields Coalition

Grant Type:

$400,000 Brownfields 

Assessment Coalition Grant

Former Uses: 

Gas station, rural lot

Current Uses:

Shubuta Outreach Family Clinic, 

Shubuta Senior Citizens Center 

The Shubuta Outreach Family Clinic was 

one of several properties prioritized for 

brownfields assessment, cleanup and 

redevelopment in Clarke County.
“

“

An underground storage tank is 

excavated from the site of the Shubuta 

Outreach Family Clinic. 

EPA 560-F-16-160

June 2016

The Brownfields 

Assessment 

Coalition Grant 

gave us the 

tools to spark 

new economic 

life into our 

community.

Mayor Eddie Fulton,

Quitman, Mississippi

and Phase II environmental site assessments. The Phase II assessment 

required removal of the tanks to allow for sampling and analysis of 

soils and groundwater beneath them. The county provided in-kind 

assistance to excavate and remove the tanks, allowing the clinic to 

continue operations.

The Quitman Brownfields Coalition also identified an investment 

opportunity at the site of a proposed senior center. Approximately 20 

percent of Shubuta’s 510 residents are 62 years of age or older. For some 

time, the village’s senior citizens wanted a place for social gatherings. 

A centrally located lot was proposed for the site, but there were some 

concerns about past petroleum activities and possible underground 

storage tanks. The coalition commissioned a Phase I environmental site 

assessment to identify and address any contamination. The assessment 

did not reveal any recognized environmental concerns, and the property 

was cleared for redevelopment. The U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development awarded a Community Development Block Grant to 

help build the center, which opened in 2012.

The Benefits

Keeping the clinic’s doors open created temporary remediation work 

and saved the full-time jobs of the healthcare professionals and staff 

who work there. If the clinic had been forced to close, Shubuta’s 

residents would have lost convenient access to affordable primary 

healthcare. Building the senior center created approximately 16 

temporary engineering, siting, design and construction jobs, and at least 

two people work there regularly. Shubuta’s older residents now have a 

place to get together, socialize and enjoy free meals. 

“Modest government investments have strengthened this small town,” 

says Jay Estes, an environmental consultant who worked on the projects 

in Shubuta. “Saving a clinic and clearing the way for a new senior center 

have made a big difference in the community.”