United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105) EPA 500-F-01-293 April 2001 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ &EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Norwich, CT Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105) Quick Reference Fact Sheet EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to worktogether in atimelymannerto prevent, assess, and safely clean up brownfieldsto promote their sustainable reuse. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real orperceivedenvironmentalcontamination.EPAisfunding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years, with additional funding provided for greenspace), to test assessment models and facilitate coordinated assessment and cleanup efforts at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels; and job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfieldsto facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and preparetraineesforfuture employment intheenvironmental field; and, a cleanup revolving loan fund program (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) to provide financial assistance 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 Norwich to receive supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Norwich (population 3 7,319) is located approximately 15 miles north of New London and 40 miles southeast of Hartford, at the head of the Thames River. Located within one of the oldest settled areas in the United States, Norwich has suffered high unemployment and poverty rates in recent years due to the departure of textile and other major manufacturing industries duringthe 1960s and 1970s. Nearly 12 percent of the population lives in poverty. To reduce poverty within distressed neighborhoods, the State of Connecticut designated Norwich as a targeted investment community and an urban enterprise zone. This area of Connecticut was once one of the nation's leading firearms manufacturing centers and home to stove, lock, paper, and textile manufacturers serviced by the Norwich-Worcester Railroad. By 1987, however, manufacturing jobs in the area had dwindled to only 17 percent of the area's total employment. Many former factories have been torn down or now sit abandoned in the midst of residential neighborhoods. Several of these properties have suspected contamination. The Pilot seeks to restore PILOT SNAPSHOT Norwich, Connecticut Date of Award: April 2001 Amount: $150,000 Profile: The Pilot planstofocus on conducting environmental assessmentsonformerhistoric mill sites and abandoned brownfields properties withinthe Norwich EnterpriseZone. Contacts: City of Norwich (860)823-3822 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA - Region 1 (617)918-1389 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/ ------- these major, abandoned industrial properties to productive use, many of which are located within Norwich's Urban Enterprise Zone. OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES The Pilot will use EPA's supplemental assistance to continue to eliminate or minimize the uncertainty related to environmental and liability issues surrounding brownfields sites located in the Norwich Enterprise Zone. The Pilot will identify these issues and develop a strategy for cleanup and redevelopment at selected sites in three target areas—the Falls Avenue properties, the area between Chestnut and Franklin Streets, and the Shipping Street/Terminal Way area. These areas are home to historic mill structures or former industrial sites that have high redevelopment potential and could be catalysts for additional development in the city. The Pilot plans to: • Develop a brownfields inventory and database focusing on three property clusters that fall within the Norwich Enterprise Zone; • Select three sites for Phase I environmental site assessments based on priority sites identified in the inventory; • Work with community groups to conduct outreach activities in the impacted communities; and • Perform Phase II and Phase III environmental assessments at one selected site. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this tact sheet are subject to change. Brownfields Supplemental Assistance April2001 Norwich, Connecticut EPA 500-F-01-293 ------- |