&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-174
July 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Colrain, MA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of
brownfields solutions. The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, States, Tribes, municipalities, and communities with
useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site
assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the Town of Colrain for a
Brownfields Pilot. Colrain (population 1,757) is a
rural town located in the hills of western
Massachusetts. In August 1996, the Town lost its
largest employer and taxpayer, American Fiber &
Finishing (AF&F). The cotton bleaching mill had
been in continuous operation for 150 years. The loss
of this major employer has devastated Colrain's
economy. As a result of the complex's closing, 160
people lost their jobs. The Town's unemployment
rate is 8.7%, fifth-highest in the state, and nearly 11%
of the community's residents live in poverty.
Colrain wants to facilitate the redevelopment of the
AF&F site to create jobs, stabilize the local tax base,
and establish a process for redeveloping other
brownfields in the Town. Two potential purchasers
have expressed interest in the AF&F property, but the
unknown extent of contamination has deterred them
from redeveloping the site. There are two other
abandoned mill sites in the Town and other sites
where contamination is suspected. The Town has
established the community-based AF&F/Brownfields
Task Force to guide redevelopment of brownfields,
starting with the AF&F site. The Town is also
working to retain existing businesses, and has
successfully implemented a plan to retain its second-
largest employer.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount Requested:
$195,862
Profile: The Pilot will
target a former cotton
bleaching mill that was the
Town's major employer
until its closure in 1996.
Colrain, Massachusetts
Contacts:
Town of Colrain
(413)624-5500
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 1
(617)573-9681
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/bmfld/
Forfurtherirrformation, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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OBJECTIVES
The Pilot will enable Colrain to determine the extent
of contamination at the AF&F site, estimate cleanup
costs, and create cleanup and redevelopment plans
for the site. Pilot funds also will be used to facilitate
citizen involvement in the assessment, cleanup, and
redevelopment of the AF&F site.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Assessing the AF&F property and adjacent
businesses and residences;
• Developing cleanup, financing, and redevelopment
plans for the target site; and
• Facilitating citizen involvement in redevelopment
decision making.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Colrain, Massachusetts
July 1998 EPA 500-F-98-174
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