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Brownfields  2005

 Grant  Fact  Sheet

           Lowell, 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, President George
W. Bush 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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The City of Lowell was selected to receive two
brownfields cleanup grants. Located on the Merrimack
River, 30 miles northwest of Boston, Lowell (population
105,167) has suffered the demise of both the manufac-
turing and high-tech economies. Between 1988 and
1992, the city lost 22 percent of its jobs. Today it is a
federally designated Renewal Community. The JAM
(Jackson, Appleton, Middlesex Streets) Plan urban
renewal district, in Lowell's inner-city, is the location of
the target site, a former textile mill and automotive
facility. Almost 17 percent of Lowell residents fall
below the poverty level. This figure exceeds 25
percent in the JAM area. More than 27 percent of
area residents are minorities, and the JAM district has
experienced double-digit unemployment rates for
   Cleanup Grants
   $255,040 for petroleum
   EPA has selected the City of Lowell for two
   brownfields cleanup grants. Funds will be used to
   conduct community involvement activities,
   excavate petroleum-contaminated soils, and
   remove underground storage tank sites at 101 and
   115 Middlesex Street. The sites, originally part of
   Hamilton Mills, were used for automobile sales,
   refueling, and maintenance from the 1920s to the
   1970s.
   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: City of Lowell, MA
  978-970-4276
  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
several years. Cleanup and redevelopment of the
Middlesex Street properties into a 900-space parking
facility with ground-level retail space will help return
vitality to a historical commercial corridor and provide
needed jobs in the area. It will also help satisfy the
parking demands for the currently underutilized Cam-
bodian Mutual Assistance Association building, helping
to serve the needs of a growing immigrant population.
The JAM Parking Facility project is key in creating
momentum for the Hamilton Canal District, a transit-
oriented mixed-use development that will create 350
new jobs for Lowell residents.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-05-072
                         May 2005
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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