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Brownfields 2004
Grant Fact Sheet
Franklin Regional
Council of
Governments,
Franklin County, MA
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is
real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
of which may be complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, the President
signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields
Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible
applicants through four competitive grant programs:
assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup
grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding
support is provided to state and tribal response pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Franklin Regional Council of Governments was
selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant.
Franklin County (population 71,535) is located in the
upper Connecticut River Valley in western Massachu-
setts. It is the most rural area in the commonwealth.
Historically, agriculture and manufacturing have been
the dominant sectors of the regional economy. Al-
though manufacturing is still the area's largest em-
ployer (31.7 percent), closure of many of the region's
larger manufacturing facilities has created environmen-
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Franklin Regional Council
of Governments for a brownfields assessment
grant. Grant funds will be used to update the
council's inventory of brownfields sites, conduct
community outreach activities, develop site access
strategies, perform Phase I and II site assess-
ments, and prepare remediation plans for three
sites within Franklin County. If funds permit, other
sites will be added to this project.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit
the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
brownfields
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1221
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/
Grant Recipient: Franklin Regional Council of
Governments, MA
413-774-1194
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, the activities
described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
tal, economic, and social problems. Twenty of the
county's 26 communities have lower per capita in-
comes than the state average. The per capita income
in the county is 80 percent of the state average. The
three target sites, a railyard, an auto dealership/garage,
and an asphalt plant, are near the Connecticut River, an
American Heritage River. Revitalization plans include
expanding the Trolley Museum at the former railyard
site, and redeveloping the other two sites for commer-
cial space, greenspace, senior housing, or downtown
parking. These activities are expected to generate
additional tourism, bring jobs to the area, and enhance
tax revenues.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-04-048
June 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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