&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA500-F-98-175 July 1998 Assessment Demonstration Pilot Middletown, CT 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 City of Middletown for a Brownfields Pilot. The City (population 42,760) is located along the western shore of the Connecticut River, approximately 15 miles south of Hartford and 25 miles north of New Haven. The area's once vibrant waterfront, adjacenttothe City's downtown, is now littered with vacant industrial and commercial properties, while the environmental quality of the Connecticut River has deteriorated. Redevelopment activities have been hampered by the lack of information regarding the extent and types of contamination on brownfields sites. The urban core of the City is a State-designated Enterprise Zone. The Pilot will target several waterfront sites, including two underused commercial properties and a waste water treatment plant. OBJECTIVES Middletown's objective is to focus on the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties located along the City's waterfront to preserve and improve the recreational and commercial sectors of the area. Pilot funding will be used to assess the targeted sites, conduct environmental cleanup studies and ecological PILOT SNAPSHOT Middletown, Connecticut Date of Announcement: July 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets several waterfront sites along the Connecticut River and one of its tributaries. Contacts: Planning Office City of Middletown (860) 344-3425 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/ 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: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- investigations, and mobilize community involvement and resources. Middletown expects thatthe waterfront redevelopment, made possible by Pilot activities, will serve as a catalyst for revitalization of the neighboring downtown area. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Performing Phase I and II environmental assessments on the targeted waterfront sites; • Completing feasibility studies and cleanup cost estimates for at least two of the targeted waterfront sites; and • Developing an outreach program to inform and solicit input from communities affected by brownfields through public meetings, mailings, and fact sheets. 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 Middletown, Connecticut July 1998 EPA500-F-98-175 ------- |