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
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