MEETING STREET NATIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE Meeting Street - Believing in the Possibilities ADDRESS: 1000 Eddy St., Providence, Rl 02905 PROPERTY SIZE: 7 acres FORMER USES: Iron works and automobile service facilities, furniture warehouse, and produce distributor CURRENT USES: Non-profit organization serving the educational and developmental needs of children of all abilities EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS: Meeting Street received a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, City of Providence, various private donors Meeting Street, Rl Cleanup Grant For additional data and geographic information for this and other Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA's: Envirofacts - vyyyw.epa.gov/enviro/ html/bms/bms query.html Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf PROJECT BACKGROUND: The seven-acre property was formerly used for residential and commercial purposes including an iron works, automobile service facility, furniture warehouse, and produce distributor. Several of the lots were either vacant or occupied by deteriorating structures. As a result of past activities, the property was contaminated with lead, arsenic, and other hazardous substances. Due to the property's accessible and central Providence location, Meeting Street, an acclaimed educational innovator for students of all abilities, became interested in the subject property and received a Brownfields Cleanup Grant from EPA in 2004 to address the contamination. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: • Leveraged nearly $27,000,000 from private and public sources. • Successfully cleaned up lead, arsenic, and other hazardous substances and removed two storage tanks. • Leveraged 15 jobs for cleanup and redevelopment activities. • Created a 76,000-square-foot, "green" building for 1,700 children and their families, with three acres of greenspace available for community use. OUTCOME: The Meeting Street National Center of Excellence. Construction of the new facility began in June 2006 following cleanup of the property, which included addressing the contaminants and removing the deteriorated buildings. On January 2, 2007, the 76,000-square-foot Meeting Street National Center of Excellence opened to serve the educational and developmental needs of the community. Cleanup and redevelopment activities were funded through a campaign program organized by Meeting Street that raised more than $15 million from the private and public sectors. The new facility is expected to stimulate additional investment and redevelopment in the area, and serve as a national model of education. It features a K-8 school that enrolls children of all abilities; a high school for students with severe and profound disabilities; the Bright Futures Early Learning Center; Meeting Street Early Intervention; outpatient Specialty Services; and The Children's Network, a school-readiness program for children from low-income Providence families. The building's clinical facilities, gymnasium, therapeutic pool, and family resource center are also available to the entire community. In addition, the new facility, which is applying for LEED certification as a "green" building, has three acres of greenspace, which will include outdoor play areas and athletic fields for use by both the school and the community. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region I at (617) 918-1 I 11 ------- |