EPA-560-F-08-295 brownfields September 2008

at-a-glance

Heartland Foundation, St. Joseph, MO 

emPowerU Cleanup Grant 

Brownfields Lead to Community and Youth Engagement

ADDRESS: 518 S. 6th Street, St. Joseph, MO 64501 

PROPERTY SIZE: 3.0 acres 

FORMER USE: Brick storage warehouse and vehicle maintenance, 

storage and distribution facility 

CURRENT USE: Experiential youth and community development facility 

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS: 

Heartland Foundation received 

a $200,000 EPA Brownfields 

Cleanup Grant. 

U.S. Department of Education, Health and Human 

Services, Missouri Department of Economic 

Development, National Synergizers, Kleinfelder 

For additional data and geographic information for this and 

other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s: 

Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms_query.html 

Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

Negative population growth and urban disinvestment have blighted the St. Joseph, Missouri community for decades. 

Owned by St. Joseph Power & Light Company from 1916-1980, the three-acre warehouse facility located in the heart 

of downtown St. Joseph symbolizes the area’s downturn. Vehicle maintenance, storage, and distribution activities 

conducted on the property contributed to the onsite contamination. Heartland Foundation, committed to building 

healthier communities, chose to invest in this property in hopes of sparking revitalization in this distressed area. 

Using private donations, Heartland Foundation acquired this property in August 2004. Phase I Assessments funded by 

Heartland Foundation revealed petroleum, asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and lead in the property’s soil. 

Through the use of the EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant and approximately $55,000 in leveraged funding from Heartland 

Foundation, cleanup activities were completed in 2006. 

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Addressed petroleum, asbestos, VOCs, and lead contamination in the soil. 

• Created a safe and unique environment to enhance community building, 

civic engagement, and leadership development among local area youth 

 and adults. 

• Created a national model for regional civic learning centers and 

 community revitalization. 

OUTCOME: 

Interior view of emPowerU. 

Heartland Foundation converted the former warehouse into emPowerU, 

which houses the emPower Plant, community meeting space, Foundation programs and offices. Doors officially opened 

on August 31, 2007. The emPower Plant program serves as the national pilot for civic education and training for young 

people with the capacity to reach more than 15,000 students per year. Middle school curriculum requires students to 

develop civic engagement skills in the technology-rich learning lab. This unique program is aimed at retaining the local 

population by implementing a dynamic, innovative curriculum of civic engagement to create more educational and 

employment opportunities in the region. Heartland Foundation’s emPowerU has generated much excitement throughout 

the region, as it demonstrates how revitalizing a prominent physical asset for civic education can spur the renewal of an 

entire community and region. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 7 at (800) 223-0425