5 o T> Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, VT EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders 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 Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission (SWCRPC) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located in southern Vermont, the SWCRPC consists of representatives of its ten member towns in southern Windsor County (combined population 25,105). In the 19th and early 20th Centuries, the machine tool industry fueled southern Windsor County's economy. At the end of World War II, the machine tool industry declined as Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to identify and prioritize brownfields in the region and conduct four Phase I, three Phase II, and two Phase III environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare up to two cleanup plans and conduct community outreach activities. 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 617-918-1424 http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/ Grant Recipient: Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, VT 802-674-9201 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. competition from overseas manufacturers increased. Between 1980 and 2000, Windsor County's manufactur- ing sector lost 42.5 percent of its jobs. The county's average wage is only 88 percent of the state average. Plant closings have created almost one million square feet of empty industrial space in southern Windsor County, leaving eyesores in many downtown areas. The revital- ized brownfields will be used for parks, housing, retail space, and light industrial development. Brownfields redevelopment will attract new businesses and industries, providing new jobs, improving the vitality of down- towns, putting properties back on the tax rolls, and reducing threats to human health and the environment. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-06-032 May 2006 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |