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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

       Westbrook,   ME


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 City of Westbrook was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located west of Port-
land, Maine, Westbrook (population 16,142) is a small
historic mill town originally settled in the late 1600s.
The Presumpscot River, which runs through the  center
of the downtown area, fueled the city's economy for
more than 200 years. Like so many older industrial
communities, most of Westbrook's lumber, textile, and
pulp and paper industries have shut down. The most
significant of these closings was that of the SAPPI
Pulp and Paper Mill, in 1998. The mill was
Westbrook's largest employer and represented 40
percent of the city's municipal tax base. With the
closing of the mill, over 2,100 local jobs were elimi-
nated and more than 100 acres of prime industrial land
were idled. Even before the mill closed, Westbrook
  Assessment Grant
  $200,000 for petroleum

  EPA has selected the City of Westbrook for a
  brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
  funds will be used to inventory and prioritize
  petroleum-contaminated sites throughout
  Westbrook, conduct Phase I and II environmental
  site assessments, develop cleanup and reuse
  plans, and support 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: City of Westbrook, ME
  207-854-9105

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
residents were among the poorest residents of the
greater Portland region. Today, many younger residents
of the city are moving primarily due to the lack of
affordable housing and employment opportunities.
Assessment and cleanup of the city's brownfields
properties are expected to help promote economic
growth in the area, increase public awareness and
participation, and lead to the revitalization of blighted
properties.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                          EPA560-F-06-019
                          May 2006
                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

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