United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-01-325
June 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
vvEPA
Franklin Regional Council of
Governments, Massachusetts
BCRLF Pilot Project
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 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 $250,000 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 brownfields to facilitate cleanup
of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, brownfields cleanup revolving
loan fund (BCRLF) pilot programs (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 selected the Franklin Regional Council of
Governments (FRCOG) in a coalition with the Town of
Colrain and the City of Greenfield, MA for a
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF)
Pilot in September 1999. Under this program, EPA
provided the FRCOG with $1,000,000 to capitalize its
revolving loan fund. Using the BCRLF Pilot funds, the
FRCOG will provide loans to public and private parties
for the purpose of cleaning up brownfields sites in the
two municipalities. Each municipality is eligible for up
to $500,000 to be spent in their community. The
FRCOG is making its first loan to Colrain, a rural
community of 1,757 people in Western Massachusetts.
The Town suffered the loss of its major employer and
largest taxpayer in 1996. More than half of the
residents in Colrain (56%) are classified as low to
moderate income. According to the 1990 census,
Colrain had a 10.8% poverty rate which was 36%
higher than surrounding communities in Franklin
County and 21% higher than the poverty rate for
Massachusetts as a whole. This BCRLF loan represents
the first step in brownfields redevelopment in Colrain.
In July 1998, EPA selected the Town of Colrain for a
Brownfields Demonstration Assessment Pilot. Colrain
also received supplemental funding support for that
pilot.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Franklin Regional Council of
Governments, Massachusetts
(Coalition with Towns of
Colrain and Greenfield)
Contacts:
Franklin Regional Council
of Governments
(413)774-3167
Date of Loan: June 2001
Amount: $200,000
Loan Profile:
Town of Colrain, Upper Mill
complex: 5.75 acres
located on the east side of
the North River
Region 1 Brownfields
Coordinator
(617)918-1210
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields
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
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STRUCTURE OF BCRLF PROGRAM
The FRCOG is the lead agency for the BCRLF pilot and
will also serve as fund manager. The Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) will
assist the FRCOG by providing brownfields site
management services. U.S. EPA will provide funding
(as part of the original BCRLF award to FRCOG) to the
MADEP through a Cooperative Agreement for these
services. The FRCOG has entered into a Memorandum of
Agreement with the MADEP that outlines respective
roles and responsibilities.
BCRLF BORROWER
The Town of Colrain is the BCRLF borrower for this
project. Under eminent domain authority, the Town took
ownership of the Upper Mill Complex property in the fall
of 2000. The Town will conduct abatement and removal
of environmental contamination as well as demolition of
the existing buildings on the property using both BCRLF
loan funds and a grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Housing and Community Development
(DHCD), as appropriate. BCRLF loan funds will be used
for removal activities at the site, including demolition and
site preparation as part of the site cleanup. A second
phase of cleanup may ensue following completion of the
first phase and pending further investigation. The
FRCOG will loan the Town of Colrain $200,000 at 2.5%
interest for a 10 year loan term for the cleanup of the site.
The DHCD also will provide a grant of $590,000.
BCRLF CLEANUP SITE
The Upper Mill complex is a parcel totaling 5.75 acres
located on the east side of the North River and situated in
a mixed use area. It is a configuration of several
connected, fire-ravaged brick and masonry buildings that
total over 61,000 square feet that were built around 1900.
All buildings are abandoned due to health and safety
concerns. Several buildings are structurally unsound.
The Upper Mill complex was previously used by Kendall
Mills as part of its manufacturing, bleaching and dyeing
operations.
Phase I and Phase II investigations were completed in
1999 & 2000 by Environmental Compliance Services and
SEA Consultants as part of Colrain's Site Assessment
Demonstration Pilot. These investigations of the insides
of the buildings discovered friable and ambient asbestos,
boiler ash containing arsenic and lead, poly-cyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons, metals that include arsenic, lead,
mercury, chromium, and selenium and silver found in a
manufacturing related "black sand" throughout the
building. Much of this contamination has been classified
as hazardous waste and exceeds MADEP reportable
concentrations. Also found were 55 gallon drums
containing waste oil contaminated with volatile organic
compounds and transformers and electrical switches
thought to contain PCB-contaminated oils. The
contamination on the site is believed to be from the
former industrial and manufacturing operations.
PROPOSED SITE REUSE PLAN
Removal of friable asbestos and hazardous materials as
well as demolition of the existing buildings will allow for
further site investigation activities underneath the
buildings using Colrain's Assessment Demonstration
Pilot. This will determine if any additional cleanup is
needed. If additional cleanup is necessary, Colrain or a
developer may seek additional FRCOG BCRLF loan
funds. A local business has expressed strong interest in
expanding its manufacturing operations onto the property
following cleanup.
CONTACTS
Jim Sturgeon, Chairman, Colrain Brownfields Task Force
(413)624-5500
Kathleen McCabe, Project Manager Upper Mill
(617)469-2108
EPA Region 1 Project Officer (617) 918-1210
U.S. EPA-OSWER
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (202) 260-4039
For additional information, contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at:
(800) 424-9346, or visit the EPA Brownfields website at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
June 2001
Franklin Regional Council, MA
EPA500-F-01-325
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