United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response(5101) EPA500-F-99-108 June 1999 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ £EPA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Marlborough, 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. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models;job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs 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 Marlborough for a Brownfields Pilot. Marlborough (population 31,813) is one of 19 Massachusetts communities selected as a state "mini-entitlement community," which provides funding to eliminate slums and blight. 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. However, the city recently began focusing on assessing, cleaning up, and redeveloping its brownfields, two of which have been successfully redeveloped into the city's police and fire stations. The Pilot targets two other downtown brownfields areas, the Frye Boot and Tannery and the Assabet River Rail Trail sites. The Frye facility, located in the French Hill residential neighborhood, was recently demolished with state funds due to public health concerns resulting from the dilapidated state of the building. The sites along the Assabet River Rail Trail are a part of a five-town plan to convert abandoned rail tracks to a 12.5-mile pedestrian and bicycle route that begins in Marlborough. The Pilot targets three PILOTSNAPSHOT Date of Announcement: June 1999 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot targets the Frye Boot and Tannery site and three sites along the Assabet River Rail Trail. Marlborough, Massachusetts Contacts: City of Marlborough Community Development Department (508)460-3715 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/brnfld/ 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/ ------- sites along the trail, including a former municipal landfill, a former oil storage and sales property, and a former railroad depot. The city has already received municipal and federal funding for design and construction of the trail. OBJECTIVES Marlborough's objective is to attract businesses, increase the city's tax base, and increase job opportunities in the downtown area by assessing brownfields sites for cleanup and redevelopment. By completing environmental assessments on two target brownfields areas and working with the community throughout the cleanup and redevelopment process, the Pilot anticipates that residents' fears regarding the potential health impacts of the sites will be allayed, and that redevelopment of the Assabet River Rail Trail sites will provide recreational and transportation benefits to these residents and other communities along the trail. ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Compiling existing information regarding brownfields sites in Marlborough; • Conducting environmental assessments onthetarget sites; • Designing cleanup plans for the target sites; and • Involving and educating the community regarding Pilot activities through meetings 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 Marlborough, Massachusetts June 1999 EPA500-F-99-108 ------- |