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Brownfields
Supplemental Assistance
City of Marlborough, MA
BACKGROUND
EPA awarded the City of Marlborough supplemental
assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration
Pilot. Marlborough (population 31,800) is one of 19
Massachusetts communities designated by the state as a
mini-entitlement community, which provides funding to
eliminate slums and blight in the downtown area. Although
Marlborough' s economy has been growing in recent years
with new homes, hotels, and business parks, this
development has occurred primarily on the city's outer
edge. Marlborough' s downtown has been unable to attract
businesses and provide new jobs because of the potential
liability of the area's brownfields. In recent years,
redevelopment of brownfields has been a key element in
the city's revitalization efforts.
The original EPA Pilot conducted assessments at four
properties, one of which recently has been completed.
Initial testing has revealed some contamination at three
sites, but furtherte sting is required to determine the extent
of contamination. Marlborough will use supplemental
funding to complete site testing and cleanup planning for
the three sites, which are located in the heart of the city—
the Old Train Depot site, Seymour Oil Storage site, and
Frye Shoe Manufacturing Company site.
OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Supplemental funding will be used to conduct Phase II and
Phase III environmental site assessments at the three
target sites. Preliminary site investigation of the 2.3 acre
Old Train Depot site at the terminus of the Assabet River
Rail Trail (ARRT) detected petroleum hydrocarbons and
other related contaminants. The city plans to purchase the
property for a municipal park, but the extent and cost of
cleanup must be determined before a purchase price can
be negotiated. The Seymour Oil Storage site consists of
two parcels adjacent to the ARRT that were the location
of the turn-around for trains at the terminus of the
Fitchburg Line. Soil and groundwater testing at the site, for
PILOT SNAPSHOT
CityofMarlborough,
Massachusetts
Date of Announcement:
May 2002
Amount: $150,000
Profile: The Pilotwill complete
site testing and remediation
planning for three target sites
within a one-mile radius in the
heart of the city, including two
sites adjacent to the Assabet
River Rail Trail.
Contacts:
CityofMarlborough
(508)430-3799
Regional Brown fields Team
U.S. EPA Region 1
(617)918-1209
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
which a municipal parking lot is planned, have identified
the presence of metals and petroleum hydrocarbons at
significant concentrations. The third site is the 1.4 acre
former tannery site, which once was the location of the
Frye Shoe Manufacturing Company. Metals, petroleum
hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) have been found in site soils, and groundwater
data indicate the presence of cyanide compounds. The
city is exploringthe possibility of redeveloping the property
for an assisted living facility for low-income seniors.
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Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting Phase II environmental site assessments
for the Old Train Depot site, the Seymour Oil Storage
site, and the former tannery site; and
• Conducting Phase III cleanup/feasibility studies forthe
Seymour Oil Storage and Former Tannery sites.
The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-076
and Emergency May 2002
Response (5105) www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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