Un4 & Community Revftglizat'on
BROWNFIELDS
2004/New England Program
Summary & Success Stories
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
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U.S. EPA New England
Table of Contents
v/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Overview 2
G ra ntees 4
Maps 13
Success Stories in Connecticut 1 6
Success Stories in Maine 1 8
Success Stories in Massachusetts 24
Success Stories in New Hampshire 33
Success Stories in Rhode Island 35
Success Stories in Vermont 39
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U.S. EPA New England
Introduction
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
GREETINGS FROM EPA NEW ENGLAND
REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR ROBERT VARNEY:
We are pleased to present the 2004 Program Summary and Success Story
Report for the New England Brownfields Program. This report highlights
EPA's Brownfields program, including information on grants and other
help EPA provides to local communities, non-profit organizations, tribes
and states.
The report details success stories from across the six New England states -
from rural areas to urban areas. We are proud to describe how EPA's
Brownfields resources are producing extraordinary results.
Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties that are stigma-
tized by the possibility of environmental contamination. Started as an
agency initiative in 1 995, EPA's Brownfields program has evolved into an
effort involving federal, state and local partners.
In 2002, the President signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act
"the Brownfields Law." This law expanded potential federal assistance for Brownfields, includ-
ing grants for assessment, cleanup and job training. The law included provisions to establish
and enhance state and tribal programs, which will play a critical role in the cleanup and revital-
ization of brownfields.
Since 1994, the New England Brownfields program has distributed more than $91 million to
hundreds of communities, states, agencies and nonprofits around the region. For the year 2004,
EPA's Brownfields program awarded 39 grants in New England for a total of $8.6 million. We
also awarded Job Training grants to Groundwork Providence in Rhode Island, Merrimack Valley
Work Investment Board in Lawrence, Massachusetts and to Lewiston, Maine.
EPA remains committed to protecting the public's health and the environment, while encourag-
ing the cleanup and reuse of potentially contaminated properties. We remain committed to
working with communities to rejuvenate our region's urban and rural environments. We want to
improve the quality of life for residents of areas where the environment has not always been
protected and we want to preserve priceless open spaces. We are proud of the Brownfields
program's success and expect to showcase more successful projects in the future. One of
these success stories could be in your community! We look forward to working with you to make
it happen.
For more information on the Brownfields program in New England, please visit our website at
www.epa.gov/newengland/brownfields.
Robert W Varney
Regional Administrator
http:/www. epa.gov/region 01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS
SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 1
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Overview
WELCOME TO BROWNFIELDS!
OVERVIEW OF US ERA'S NATIONAL BROWNFIELDS
CLEANUP AND REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Since 1 994, the EPA National Brownfields Program has spent some $700 million and given extensive
technical assistance to help states, communities, and others involved in economic redevelopment work
together to put brownfields sites back into active use. This results-oriented program has changed the way
contaminated property is perceived, addressed, and managed.
Brownfields are properties where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the
presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Brownfields
revitalization efforts give communities the tools to reduce environmental and health risks, reuse abandoned
properties, create a stronger local tax base, attract new businesses and jobs, create new recreational
areas, and reduce the pressure to develop open space.
The EPA Brownfields program funds grants, pilot programs, and research efforts. It aims to minimize legal
issues, encourage partnerships, promote outreach, create job training programs, and address environmental
justice concerns. Although brownfields are usually urban properties, such as old warehouses or abandoned
factories, they can also be found in rural areas, such as abandoned mills or fields where illegal dumping
has taken place. Coordinated efforts are needed to revitalize these properties and the neighborhoods
surrounding them.
Brownfields grants are the foundation of EPA's Brownfields program. These grants fund environmental
assessments, cleanups and job training activities. The Brownfields Assessment Grant Program provides
funding for inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach. The Brownfields
Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Grant Program provides funding to capitalize loans that are used to
clean up brownfields. The Brownfields Job Training Grant Program provides environmental training for
residents of brownfields communities. The Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program provides direct funding
for cleanup activities to both municipalities and non-profit organizations.
In January 1 995, EPA announced the Brownfields Action Agenda which outlined the activities EPA would
conduct to further brownfields redevelopment efforts. In May 1997, the Brownfields National Partnership
Action Agenda was announced, which formalized brownfields efforts and commitments to brownfields
redevelopment across various federal agencies and non-federal brownfields organizations. In 2002, the
Action Agenda was updated. The 2002 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/partnr.htm Brownfields National
Partnership Action Agenda is an agreement between EPAand21 other federal agencies and departments.
This agenda lists more than 1 00 commitments for cooperative work to help communities more effectively
prevent, clean up and reuse brownfields.
In January 2002, President Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization
Act, which authorizes up to $250 million per year for Brownfields grants, including up to $50 million for state
funding. It also allows for the assessment and cleanup of low-risk petroleum contaminated sites.
Brownfields reuse and redevelopment remain among President Bush's and EPA Administrator Michael
Leavitt's top priorities. By cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfields, development pressure is taken off
undeveloped, open land, both improving and protecting the environment and human health. Nationally,
the program has awarded funding to over 800 communities, stimulating over $5 billion in funds leveraged
for cleanup and redevelopment. With many new jobs created in some of this nation's most under served
and impoverished neighborhoods, it is easy to see how this program has gained the unflagging support
of government officials at all levels.
2 / BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:/www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields
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U.S. EPA New England
Overview
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
Since 1 994, the New England region has received $91 million for work in dozens of communities in the
six New England states - Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode
Island. Over $420 million in private investments has been leveraged. Almost 550 students have graduated
from the nine Brownfields Job Training Programs, with many finding successful jobs in the environmental
technology fields or going on to continuing education.
Volume Four of our success stories highlights some of the region's best examples of brownfields redevelopment
done the right way, making for exceptional stories of renewal.
SUMMARY OF BROWNFIELDS FUNDING IN NEW ENGLAND BY STATE (1994-2004)
Program CT ME MA NH Rl VT
Assessment Grants $6,606,130 $2,359,017 $13,220,131 $1,940,000 $1,703,000 $3,210,000
EPATBA $1,702,470 $426,339 $2,903,955 $398,926 $414,217 $266,623
Cleanup Grants $660,000 $150,000 $2,110,083 $400,000 $400,000 $0
Revolving Loan Fund $5,750,000 $3,400,000 $10,468,000 $2,450,000 $5,300,000 $1,000,000
JobTraining $1,000,000 $200,000 $1,747,035 $0 $350,000 $0
Showcase Communities $300,000 $0 $600,000 $0 $300,000 $0
Voluntary Cleanup Program $3,025,667 $1,380,297 $3,976,315 $2,554,019 $1,947,245 $607,030
State Brownfields Site Assessments $873,686 $728,365 $931,000 $1,722,069 $878,115 $602,975
http:/www. epa.gov/reg ion 01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS
SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 3
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Grantees
KEY BROWNFIELDS PROGRAMS
Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
The Brownfields Assessment Grant Program awards grants to local, tribal, and state governmental entities
to conduct assessment and related activities at brownfields properties. An important goal of this program
is to assist recipients in developing a long-range strategy for brownfields reuse. Grantees are selected
through a national competition.
Generally, grants are given for up to $200,000 to assess properties for co-mingled hazardous waste and
for up to $200,000 to assess properties with only petroleum contamination.
Connecticut
Bridgeport
Bristol
Capitol Region Council of Governments
Dan bury
East Hampton
Griswold
Haddam
Hartford
Meriden
Middletown
Valley Council of Governments
Naugatuck Valley Regional Planning Agency
New Britain
New Haven
New London
New Milford
Norwich
South Central Regional Council of Governments
Stamford
Torrington
Winsted/Winchester
$1,000,000
$200,000
$200,000
$200,000
$175,000
$200,000
$156,000
$550,000
$200,000
$400,000
$125,000
$417,000
$200,000
$267,000
$250,000
$350,000
$350,000
$200,000
$200,000
$199,130
$350,000
Bath
Brunswick
Ellsworth
Lewiston
Maine State Planning Agency
Portland
Sanford
Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission
Westbrook
$200,000
$150,000
$200,000
$425,000
$199,017
$335,000
$200,000
$200,000
$200,000
4/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/regionO 1 /brownfields
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U.S. EPA New England
Grantees
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
Massachusetts
Attleboro
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
Boston
Brockton
Central Massachusetts Economic
Development Authority
Chelsea
Chicopee
Colrain
Fitch burg
Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority
Franklin Regional Council of Governments
Gardner
Great Barrington
Greenfield
Holyoke
Lawrence
Lowell
Lynn
Mansfield
Marlborough
Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Methuen
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
Mystic Valley Redevelopment Authority
New Bedford
Norfolk County
North Adams
Northampton
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Salem
Somerville
Springfield
Taunton
Walpole
Westfield
West Springfield
Worcester #1
Worcester #2
$200,000
$100,000
$337,000
$700,000
$293,710
$200,000
$200,000
$235,862
$200,000
$200,000
$200,000
$200,000
$350,000
$320,000
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$350,000
$200,000
$300,000
$200,000
$400,000
$200,000
$200,000
$950,000
$800,000
$200,000
$140,770
$200,000
$150,000
$200,000
$350,000
$800,000
$400,000
$200,000
$175,000
$200,000
$200,000
$161,500
http:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS
SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 5
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Grantees
Brownfields Assessment Grant Program cont'd
New Hampshire
Claremont
Concord
Cranston
NHDES
Nashua
Nashua Regional Planning Commission
NH Office of State Planning
North Country Council
Southwest Regional Planning Commission
Rhode Island
Providence
Rl Department of Environmental Management
Rl Economic Development Corporation
Warwick
Woonsocket
Vermont
Bennington County Regional Commission
Burlington
Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission
Northwest Regional Planning Commission
Rutland
Rutland Regional Planning Commission
Southern Windsor County Regional
Planning Commission
Two Rivers - Ottauquechee Regional Commission
Windham Regional Commission
$200,000
$90,000
$200,000
$350,000
$300,000
$200,000
$400,000
$200,000
$200,000
$250,000
$400,000
$400,000
$150,000
$103,000
$200,000
$500,000
$200,000
$400,000
$200,000
$200,000
$210,000
$200,000
$550,000
6/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
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U.S. EPA New England
Grantees
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
Cleanup Grant Program
Funds are awarded to eligible local, state, tribal and non-profit entities to conduct cleanup activities on
eligible brownfields properties. Grants are for up to $200,000 per property. Entities must own the
property at the time of award to be eligible for funding.
Connecticut
Bridgeport
Chrome Engineering Site $200,000
Mt.Trashmore at 329 Central Avenue $200,000
New Britain $60,000
Maine
Portland
Bayside Rail Yard $150,000
Massachusetts
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Belle Isle Coastal Preserve $200,000
Brockton
Former Montello Auto Body
at 16 East Ashland Street $159,500
Greenfield
Food and Fuel site, 270 Deerfield St. $125,000
Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation
Hockanum Mill Site at 200 West Main Street $200,000
Worcester
Main South Community Development
Corporation $200,000
Marl borough
84 Chestnut Street $173,583
Meeting Street (non-profit organization).
Meeting Street National Center of Excellence Site $200,000
Mystic Valley Development Commission
Former Kazanjian Property - Maiden River $200,000
Mystic Valley Development Commission
Former Paonessa Property - Maiden River $200,000
New Bedford
Former Reliable Truss Site
246 River Road $200,000
Somerville $200,000
Taunton
Weir Economic Investment Revitalization
Corporation $52,000
New Hampshire
Keene
Former Perkins Machine Shop property
at 92 and 1 1 0 Water Street
Nashua
76 Temple Street
$200,000
$200.000
Rhode Island
Providence
Trust for Public Land
$200,000
http:/www. epa.gov/region 01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS
SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 7
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Grantees
Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Programs
Funds are awarded to eligible local, tribal, and state entities to establish and capitalize a revolving loan
program. Loan capitalization grants are for up to $1,000,000 and eligible entities may team together to
establish larger revolving loan fund pools. Grant recipients may provide loans to private, public, and
non-profit entities to conduct cleanup activities on eligible brownfields properties. Grant recipients may
also make subgrants to public and non-profit entities to conduct cleanup activities.
Connecticut
Berlin
Bridgeport
Hartford
Naugatuck Valley / Danbury
New Milford
Regional Growth Partnership
Stamford
Winchester
$500,000
$500,000
$500,000
$850,000
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
$750,000
$650,000
Bath, ME $750,000
Lewiston $500,000
Orono $750,000
Portland $500,000
Westbrook $900,000
Massachusetts
Boston $1,000,000
Brockton $500,000
Central Massachusetts Economic Development Authority $18,000
Franklin Regional Council of Governments $1,000,000
Gloucester $500,000
Lawrence $500,000
Lowell $500,000
Lynn $450,000
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission $500,000
Mystic Valley Development Authority $1,000,000
New Bedford $500,000
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission $2,000,000
Somerville $500,000
Taunton $500,000
Worcester $1,000,000
8/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/regionO 1 /brownfields
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U.S. EPA New England
Grantees
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Rl Department of Environmental Management/Rl Economic
Development Corporation $ 1,700,000
Rl Economic Development Corporation/City of Providence/
City of Pawtucket $3,000,000
Rl Economic Development Corporation, Rl $600,000
Vermont
South Windsor County Regional Planning Commission $1,000,000
Brownfields Job Training Program
Brownfields Job Train ing Programs train workers in the field of hazardous waste assessment and remediation.
To be eligible for these funds, the applicants must be affiliated with existing Brownfields Assessment Grant
Program participants.
Connecticut
Middlesex Community Technical College
Stamford
The Workplace, Inc
$400,000
$200,000
$400,000
Lewiston $200,000
Massachusetts
Boston Connects People to Economic Opportunities, Inc. $200,000
Brockton
Coalition for a Better Acre (Lowell)
Jobs For Youth - Boston
Lawrence
New Bedford
STRIVE-Boston
$200,000
$200,000
$475,000
$197,035
$275,000
$200,000
Rhode Island
Groundworks, Providence
$350,000
http:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS
SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 9
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Grantees
Targeted Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
EPA works directly with contractors to conduct assessments at properties identified by the local entity as
being high-priority for reuse. Targeted Brownfields Assessments typically involve a review of existing
records, sampling, and preparation of a preliminary cleanup cost estimate. The information gathered
allows local government officials and developers to make informed decisions regarding the redevelopment
potential of a property. These assessments are usually valued between $50,000 and $100,000.
State
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
CT
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
Site
1 0 Reserve Road
50 Miles Street
AmeriBelle Textiles
Buckland Manufacturing
Erickson Property
Field-Holstein Property
former Cos Cob Power Station
Gilbert and Bennett
H.J. Mills Box Factory
Hart Property
Hartford Car Wash
Hockanum Mill
International Silver - Factory H
InterRoyal Mill
Occum Roto Print
O'Sullivan's Island
Pacelli Trucking
Penn Central Transportation Co
Portland Chemical Works
Rolfite Chemical
Roosevelt Mills
Samarius Property
Shelton Waterfront
Swan Engraving
U.S. Cap, Inc.
15 Rod Shop Road
54-67 Mill Street
Alden Corrugated
Amesbury Wharf
Assets Building
Bargaineer
Boston's Hope
Church Coal
City Pier
Goes Knife Property
Davidson Street
Town
Hartford
Bridgeport
Vernon
Manchester
Ledyard
Glastonbury
Greenwich
Redding
Bristol
Plymouth
Hartford
Vernon
Meriden
Plainfield
Norwich
Derby
Bridgeport
New London
Middletown
Shelton
Vernon
Shelton
Shelton
Bridgeport
Prospect
Mantague
Brookfield
New Bedford
Amesbury
Lowell
Brockton
Dorchester
Taunton
Fall River
Worcester
Lowell
Funds
$59,403
$15,615
$100,000
$26,408
$10,952
$84,905
$116,291
$100,000
$64,867
$75,000
$22,895
$96,196
$80,000
$116,397
$84,903
$96,981
$76,233
$51,692
$70,444
$61,815
$71,587
$13,602
$75,000
$52,448
$78,836
$100,000
$110,437
$43,495
$104,800
$146,712
$45,847
$106,350
$44,891
$104,737
$70,956
$57,551
10/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/regi
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MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
MA
ME
ME
ME
ME
ME
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
NH
Rl
Rl
Rl
Rl
Rl
Rl
VT
VT
VT
U.S. EPA New England
Grantees
Draper Field
Essex Museum
Ferdinand Block/DPH
former Beacon Chevrolet
former DPW Yard
former DPW Yard
Former Food and Fuel
former Tremont Villa
Gilbertville Woven Label Site
Hallmark Van Lines
Knapp Shoe
Marine Railways Property
Modern Electroplating
Montello Auto Body
Old Northampton Fire Station
Old Sewer Beds
Omega Processing Site
Omniwave Electronics
Oxford Paper Mill (Spicket River)
Pearl Street Mill
Quarry Street Highpoint Property
Roundhouse Parking Lot
Seltsam Property
Standard Times Field
Ayers Island
Former Diamond Match Mill
Lewiston & Auburn RR Co., Water Street
Lily Tulip
W.S. Libbey Mill
Ambargis Mill
Craig Supply
Former Tannery Site (Milton Mills)
Henry's Tire Property
J.P. Stevens Mill
Lament Labs
60 Valley Street
Narragansett Landing
Rau Fasteners
Save the Bay
Spintex Mill
West Elmwood Housing Development
28 River Street
Carr Lot
TLR Complex
&EH
Hopedale
Essex
Boston
Lynn
Newburyport
Northampton
Greenfield
Everett
Hardwick
Holyoke
Brockton
Gloucester
Boston
Brockton
Northampton
Franklin
Monson
Gloucester
Lawrence
Bellingham
Qunicy
Northampton
Foxborough
New Bedford
Orono
Peru
Lewiston
Old Town
Lewiston
Newport
Durham
Milton
Sutton
Franklin
Londonderry
Providence
Providence
Providence
Providence
Central Falls
Providence
Windsor
Montpelier
Rockingham
ft United States
A Environmental Protection
m Agency New England
$100,000
$133,143
$33,872
$9,915
$63,018
$81,804
$100,000
$66,473
$63,001
$69,886
$50,025
$122,504
$78,31 1
$67,315
$49,950
$128,120
$140,823
$89,501
$115,241
$184,505
$10,640 m
$85,483
$64,388
$60,175
$111,770
$164,158
$60,151
$18,966
$71,294
$116,748
$70,409
$165,300
$6,818
$8,697
$30,954
$100,000
$41,614
$33,570
$133,638
$28,183
$77,212
$100,000
$110,317
$56,304
http:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 11
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Grantees
Targeted Brownfields Assessment State Listings
Connecticut
CT DOT Site #1, Freestone Ave, Portland
National Automatic Products (NAPCO), 44 Washington Ave, Berlin
Turnpike Autowreckers, 88 Pond Meadow Road, Westbrook
American Tool & Machine, 1 1 5 Pierson Lane, Windsor
Berlin Center, Massirio Drive, Berlin
Neoweld Corporation I, 8 River Road South, Cornwall
Samarius Property, 1 23 Canal Street, Shelton
Hi-G Company Property, 85 Nutmeg Road South, South Windsor
New Hall Street School (Rochford Field), 533 Newhall Street, Hamden
Derby DOT Parcel, Route 34, Derby
Maine
Ayers Island, Orono
Edwards Manufacturing, Augusta
Burt Company Site, 1 Cambridge Street, Portland
Bangor Hydro Substation, EastMachias
Smelt Hill Dam, Falmouth
Apollo Tanning Company, Washington Street, Camden
Industrial Box and Lumber, Parsonfield
Howland Tannery, Howland
Main St Junkyard, Bradley Crowrope, Warren
Massachusetts
Middleboro Plating, 98 Cambridge Street, Middleboro
Filmtech Site, 181 Notre Dame Street, Westfield
Lewis Chemical Company Site, 12 Fairmont Court, Hyde Park, Boston
Hampden Color & Chemical Site, 1 26 Memorial Drive, Springfield
Swank Site, Attleboro
Cadillac Paint, Ashland
Town Barn Facility, Ashburnham
Lot 6-2, Taunton
Microfab, Amesbury
Shoe Manufacturing Site (former), Whitman
New Hampshire
Carnevale Property, Main Street, Sutton
Kaminski, MontVernon
Bradford Green/Naughton Site, Bradford
East Coast Steel, Greenfield
Craig Supply, Durham
Bristol Mica Factory, Bristol
Robert Riley Property, New Boston
ContoocookValley PaperSite, Henniker
Northern Forest Heritage Park, Former Pulp & Paper of America R & D Building Site, Berlin
Shamrock Cleaners Site, 3 Railroad Street, Derry
Rex Leathers/Regis Tannery, Raymond
Elite Laundry, Jeffrey
Troy Mills, Troy
12 ! BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/regionO 1/brownfields
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U.S. EPA New England t* COA United states
_ ~* ^Kk^'t^^A Environmental Protection
Grantees ^^^1 *» Agency New England
Targeted Brownfields Assessment State Listings cont'd
Rhode Island
Buttonwood Industrial Complex, Bristol
Pontiac Enterprises, Warwick
T.H. Baylis, Warwick
Chepachet River Park, Glocester
Park View Recreational Facility, Cranston
Olneyville Family Resource Center, Providence
Stillwater Mill Complex, Burrillville
Vermont
BCIC Building Complex, North Bennington
Jewell Brook Property, Ludlow
Sweat Comings, Richford
Financial Assistance to State Brownfields Programs
EPA offers funding to establish and enhance state and tribal response programs. Generally, these programs
address the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields and other contaminated properties.
This funding may be used by states and tribes to:
1) conduct activities to establish and enhance their response programs including developing new legislation,
regulations, guidance, or procedures;
2) conduct site-specific activities that enhance the state's cleanup capacity including conducting site-
specific reviews and audits or targeted brownfields assessments and cleanups;
3) develop environmental insurance programs; and
4) capitalize a brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund.
Showcase Communities
As part of the multi-federal agency Brownfields National Partnership, sixteen communities were selected to
receive Showcase Community designations following a national competition. The federal partners work
with selected communities to revitalize brownfields properties.
EPA provided each Showcase Community with a $200,000 Brownfields Demonstration Pilot and assigned
an EPA-employee to work full time in the designated community for two years.
Stamford $300,000 Lowell $300,000 Providence $300,000
Mystic Valley
(Maiden,Medford,
Everett) $300,000
New Bedford $200,000
http:/www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 13
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Maps
141BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
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Connecticut Communities Receiving Federal
Brownfields Program Financial And Technical Assistance
Summary Of Funding
(as of June 2004)
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
GRANTS
TARGETED
BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENTS
REVOLVING LOAN
FUNDS
JOB TRAINING
GRANTS
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAM
STATE
BROWNFIELDS SITE
ASSESSMENT
SHOWCASE
COMMUNITIES
CLEANUP GRANTS
TOTAL
FUNDING
$6,606,130
$1,702,470
$5,750,000
$1,000,000
$3,025,667
$873,686
$300,000
$660,000
$19,917,953
Legend
A Municipality Receiving Brownfields Program Assistance
Census 2000 EJ Potential
Both minority and low income
Low income
^| Minority
ENTITY
ANSONIA
BERLIN
BRIDGEPORT
BRISTOL
CORNWALL
CRCOG
DAN BURY
DERBY
EAST HAMPTON
GLASTONBURY
GREENWICH
GRISWOLD
HAD DAM
HAMDEN
HARTFORD
HIDVC
LEDYARD
MANCHESTER
MCTC
MERIDEN
MIDDLETOWN
NEW BRITAIN
NEW HAVEN
NEW LONDON
NEWMILFORD
NORTH HAVEN
NORWICH
PLAINFIELD
PLYMOUTH
PORTLAND
PROSPECT
REDDING
SCRCOG/RGP
SHELTON
SOUTH WINDSOR
STAMFORD
TORRINGTON
VCOG
VERNON
WESTBROOK
WINCHESTER
WINDSOR
sc
Y
RLF
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
AP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
JT
Y
Y
Y
Y
E TBA
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
S TBA
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
P LEAD
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
CG
Y
Y
Y
Field Definitions:
SC = Showcase Communities, RLF = Revolving Loan Fund Program,
AP = Assessment Program, JT = Job Training Program, E_TBA = EPA-lead Targeted Brownfields
Assessment, S_TBA = State-lead Targeted Brownfields Assessment, CG = Cleanup Grant,
PJ.EAD = Pilot-lead Assessment - EPA has awarded several Assessment Pilots to state entities
and regional planning commissions in New England. This table reflects those individual communities
where site assessment funds have been expended by state and regional assessment pilots.
Data (Acronym) Definitions:
CRCOG = Capitol Region Council of Governments,
HIDVC = Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation,
MCTC = Middlesex Community Technical College,
SCRCOG/RGP = South Central Regional Council Of Governments/Regional Growth Partnership,
VCOG = Valley Council of Governments
Produced by the EPA Region I Srownflelds Section
In cooperation with the Region I GIS Center
21-June-2004
Map Document: CT_brownflelds_EJ_2004.mxd
United States
Environmental Protectio
Agency New England
-------
Maine Communities Receiving Federal
Brownfields Program Financial And Technical Assistance
Legend
A Municipality Receiving Brownfields Program Assistance
Census 2000 EJ Potential
Both minority and low income
Low income
Minority
ENTITY
SC RLF AP JT E TBA S TBA P LEAD CG
AUGUSTA
BATH
BRUNSWICK
CAMDEN
EAST MACHIAS
ELLSWORTH
FALMOUTH
HOWLAND
LEWISTON
LUBEC
MSPO
OLD TOWN
ORONO
PARSONSFIELD
PERU
PORTLAND
RUMFORD
SANFORD
SMRPC
WARREN
WATERVILLE
WESTBROOK
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Field Definitions:
SC = Showcase Communities, RLF = Revolving Loan Fund Program,
AP = Assessment Program, JT = Job Training Program, E_TBA = EPA-lead Targeted Brownfields
Assessment, S_TBA = State-lead Targeted Brownfields Assessment, CG = Cleanup Grant,
PJ.EAD = Pilot-lead Assessment- EPA has awarded several Assessment Pilots to state entities
and regional planning commissions in New England. This table reflects those individual communities
where site assessment funds have been expended by state and regional assessment pilots.
Entity (Acronym] Definitions:
MSPO = Maine State Planning Office
SMRPC = Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission
Summary Of Funding
(as of June 2004)
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
GRANTS
TARGETED
BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENTS
REVOLVING LOAN
FUNDS
JOB TRAINING
GRANTS
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAM
STATE
BROWNFIELDS SITE
ASSESSMENT
SHOWCASE
COMMUNITIES
CLEANUP GRANTS
TOTAL
FUNDING
$2,359,017
$426,339
$3,400,000
$200,000
$1,380,297
$728,365
$0
$150,000
$8,644,018
Produced by the EPA Region I Brownfields Section
h cooperation with the Region 1 GIS Center
21-June-2004
Map Document: ME_brownfields_EJ_2004.mxd
United States
Environmental Protect!or
Agency New England
-------
Massachusetts Communities Receiving Federal
Brownfields Program Financial And Technical Assistance
4j-J ROWE.I A
AMS COLRAIt
Legend
A Municipality Receiving Brownfields Program Assistance
Census 2000 EJ Potential
Both minority and low income
Low income
Minority
ASHBURNHAM
ASHLAND
ATTLEBORO
AUBURN
BELLINGHAM
BOSTON
BROCKTON
BROOKFIELD
BRPC
CHELSEA
CHESTER
CHICOPEE
CLINTON
CM EDA
COLRAIN
CONWAY
DUDLEY
EASTHAMPTON
ERVING
ESSEX
EVERETT
FALL RIVER
FITCH BURG
FOXBOROUGH
FRANKLIN
FRCOG
GARDNER
GLOUCESTER
GRAFT ON
GREAT BARRINGTON
GREENFIELD
HARDWICK
HOLYOKE
HOPEDALE
JOBS FOR YOUTH
ENTITY
LANCASTER
LAWRENCE
LEOMINSTER
LOWELL
LYNN
MADEP
MAIN SOUTH CDC
MAIDEN
MANSFIELD
MARLBOROUGH
MEDFORD
METHUEN
MIDDLEBOROUGH
MONROE
MONSON
MONTAGUE
MRPC
MVDC
MVPC
MVWIB
NEWBURYPORT
NORFOLK COUNTY
NORTH AD AMS
NORTHAMPTON
PVPC
QUINCY
ROWE
SALEM
SOMERVILLE
SPRINGFIELD
TAUNTON
TEMPLETON
WALPOLE
WEIR CORP.
WEST SPRINGFIELD
WESTFIELD
WESTMINSTER
WHfTMAN
WINCHENDON
WORCESTER
SC
Y
Y
RLF
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
AP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Jl
Y
Y
Y
E TBA
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
S TBA
Y
Y
Y
P LEAD
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
CG
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Summary Of Funding
(as of June 2004)
Feld Definitions:
SC = Showcase Communities, RLF = Revolving Loan Fund Program,
AP = Assessment Program, JT = Job Training Program, E_TBA = EPA-lead Targeted Brownfields
Assessment, S_TBA = State-lead Targeted Brownfields Assessment, CG = Cleanup Grant,
P_LEAD = Pilot-lead Assessment - EPA has awarded several Assessment Pilots to state entities
and regional planning commissions in New England. This table reflects those individual communities
where site assessment funds have been expended by state and regional assessment pilots.
Entity (Acronym) Definitions:
BRPC = Berkshire Regional Planning Commission,
CMEDA = Central Massachusetts Economic Development Authority,
FRCOG = Franklin Regional Council Of Governments, MA DEP = Massachusetts
Department Of Envionmental Protection, MRPC = Montachusett
Regional Planning Commission, MVDC = Mystic Valley Development
Commission, MVPC = Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, MVWIB = Merrimack
Valley Workforce Investment Board
PVPC = PioneerValley Planning Commission
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
GRANT
TARGETED
BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENTS
REVOLVING LOAN
FUNDS
JOB TRAINING
GRANTS
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAM
STATE
BROWNFIELDS SITE
ASSESSMENT
SHOWCASE
COMMUNITIES
CLEANUP GRANT
TOTAL
FUNDING
$13,220,131
$2,903,955
$10,468,000
$1 ,747,035
$3,976,315
$931 ,000
$600,000
$2,110,083
$35,956,519
Produced by the EPA Region I Brownfields Section
in cooperation with the Region 1 GIS Center
21-June-2004
Map Document: ma_brownfields_EJ_2004.mxd
-------
New Hampshire Communities Receiving Federal
Brownfields Program Financial And Technical Assistance
ENTITY
BERLIN
BRADFORD
BRISTOL
CLAREMONT
CONCORD
DERRY
DOVER
DURHAM
FRANKLIN
JAFFREY
KEENE
LONDONDERRY
MILTON
MONT VERNON
NASHUA
NCC
NEW BOSTON
NEW IPSWICH
NEWMARKET
NEWPORT
INH
RLF AP JT E_TBA S_TBA PJ.EAD CG
Summary Of Funding
(as of June 2004)
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
GRANTS
TARGETED
BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENTS
REVOLVING LOAN
FUNDS
JOB TRAINING
GRANTS
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAM
STATE
BROWNFIELDS SITE
ASSESSMENT
SHOWCASE
COMMUNITIES
CLEANUP GRANT
TOTAL
FUNDI
$1,940,000
$398,926
$2,450,000
$0
$2,554,019
$1,722,069
$0
$400,000
NHCPO
NHDES
NORTHFIELD
NRPC
RAYMOND
ROCHESTER
SOUTHWEST RPC
SUTTON
SWANZEY
TILTON
TROY
WINCHESTER
Feld Definittons:
SC = Showcase Communittes, RLF = Revolving Loan Fund Program,
AP = Assessment Program, JT = Job Training Program, E_TBA = EPA-lead Targeted Brownfields
Assessment, S_TBA = State-lead Tcrgeted Brownfields Assessment, CG = Cteanup Grant,
PJ.EAD = Pilot-tead Assessment - EPA has awarded several Assessment Pilots to state entittes
and regional planning commisstons in New Engtond. Thfe tabte refiects those individual communittes
where site assessment funds have been expended by state and regtonal assessment pilots.
Value [Acronym) Definitions:
NCC = North Country Council,
NH = State Of New Hampshire,
NHCPO = New Hampshire Coastal Ptanning Office,
NHDES = New Hampshire Department Of Environmental Services,
NRPC = Nashua Regional Planning Commission,
RPC = Regional Planning Commfesion
Legend
A Municipality Receiving Brownfields Program Assistance
Census 2000 EJ Potential
Both minority and low income
Low income
Minority
Produced by the EPA Region I Brownfields Section
United States 'n cooperation with the Region 1 GIS Center
Environmental Protection 21-June-2004
Agency Now England Map Document: nh_brownfields_EJ_2004.mxd
-------
Rhode Island Communities Receiving Federal
Brownfields Program Financial And Technical Assistance
Legend
A Municipality Receiving Brownfields Program Assistance
Census 2000 EJ Potential
Both minority and low income
Low income
Minority
ENTITY SC RLF AP JT E TBA S TBA P LEAD CG
BURRILLVILLE
BRISTOL
CENTRAL FALLS
CRANSTON
GLOCESTER
GROU N D WORK PROVID EN CE
LINCOLN
MEETING ST (E PROVIDENCE)
PROVIDENCE
RID EM
RIEDC
Rl EDC/RI DEM
TPL
WARWICK
WOON SOCKET
_| |Y_
1 1 1 |Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Field Definitions:
SC = Showcase Communities, RLF = Revolving Loan Fund Program,
AP = Assessment Program, JT = Job Training Program, ELTBA = EPA-lead Targeted Brownfields
Assessment, S_TBA = State-lead Targeted Brownfields Assessment, CG = Cleanup Grant,
P_LEAD = Pilot-lead Assessment - EPA has awarded several Assessment Pilots to state entities
and regional planning commissions in New England. This table reflects those individual communities
where site assessment funds have been expended by state and regional assessment pilots.
Entity (Acronym] Definitions:
Rl DEM = Rhode Island Department Of Environmental Management,
Rl EDC = Rhode Island Economic Development Corp.
TPL = Trust For Public Land
Summary Of Funding
(as of June 2004)
PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
GRANTS
TARGETED
BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENTS
REVOLVING LOAN
FUNDS
JOB TRAINING
GRANTS
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAM
STATE
BROWNFIELDS SITE
ASSESSMENT
SHOWCASE
COMMUNITIES
CLEANUP GRANT
TOTAL
FUNDING
$1,703,000
$414,217
$5,300,000
$350,000
$1,947,245
$878,115
$300,000
$400,000
$11,292,577
Produced by the EPA Region I Brownfields Section
in cooperation with the Region 1 CIS Center
21-June-2004
Map Document: R|_brownfields_EJ_2004.mxd
-------
Vermont Communities Receiving Federal
Brownfields Program Financial And Technical Assistance
SC RLF AP JT E TBA S TBA P LEAD CG
BCRC
BENNINGTON
BRANDON
BRATTLEBORO
BURLINGTON
CENTRAL VT RFC
CHELSEA
HANCOCK
HARFORD
LUDLOW
MONTPELIER
NEWBURY
NORTHFIELD
NORTHWEST RPC
RICH FORD
ROCKINGHAM
RUTLAND
RUTLAND RPC
SPRINGFIELD
SWCRPC
THETFORD
TRORC
WILLIAM STOWN
WILMINGTON
WINDSOR
WRC
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Feld Definittons:
SC = Showcase Communit'es, RLF = Revolving Loan Fund Program,
AP = Assessment Program, JT = Job Training Program, E_TBA = EPA-lead Targeted Brownfields
Assessment, S_TBA = State-lead Tcrgeted Brownfields Assessment, CG = Cteanup Grant,
PJ.EAD = Pilot-tead Assessment - EPA has awarded several Assessment Pilots to state entires
and regional planning commisstons in New Engtond. Th'B tabb reflects those individual communittes
where site assessment funds have been expended by state and regbnal assessment pilots.
Entity (Acronym) Definitions:
BCRC = Bennington County Regional Comm'ssion
SWCRPC = South Windsor County Regional Planning Commisston,
TRORC = Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission,
WRC = Windham Regional Commission,
RPC = Regional Planning Comm'ssion
Summary Of Funding
(as of June 2004)
Legend
A Municipality Receiving Brownfields Program Assistance
Census 2000 EJ Potential
Both minority and low income
Low income
Minority
ASSESSMENT
GRANTS
TARGETED
BROWNFIELDS
ASSESSMENTS
REVOLVING LOAN
FUNDS
JOB TRAINING
GRANTS
VOLUNTARY
CLEANUP PROGRAM
STATE
BROWNFIELDS SITE
ASSESSMENT
SHOWCASE
COMMUNITIES
CLEANUP GRANTS
TOTAL
FUNDING
$3,210,000
$266,623
$1,000,000
$0
$607,030
$602,975
$0
$0
$5,686,628
Produced by the EPA Region I Brownfields Section
in cooperation with the Region i GIS Center
21-June-2004
Map Document: vt_brownfields_EJ_2004.mxd
United States
Environmental Protectioi
Agency New England
-------
U.S. EPA New England
Maps
v/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
http:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 ,/' 75
-------
CONNECTICUT
EPA BROWNFIELDS FUNDS PAVE THE WAY FOR
BUSINESS GROWTH IN NEW BRITAIN, CT
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
NEW BRITAIN, CT The Russell & Erwin factory in New Britain's Technology Corridor was transformed
after years of abandonment and concerns of costly and potentially dangerous environmental contamination.
A $200,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant awarded to the city in 1 998 helped lift the stigma of
environmental contamination from the site and a successful retail chain now brings additional tax
revenue and good corporate citizenship to the once contaminated site.
The Russell & Erwin factory is just one of many small hardware parts manufacturers that were once a
staple of the city's economy. A mass exodus of industry in the 1 970s and 1 980s left the city with over
600,000 square feet of vacant and potentially contaminated land. As a
result of this huge and growing problem, the city has developed a brownfields
cleanup initiative that encompasses six key properties that will be assessed
and redeveloped with the help of remaining funds from the $200,000 EPA
Assessment Grant. Sites that have already achieved an environmental
and economic renaissance me
lude:
New Walgreens
the former Sandelli Greenhouses were transformed into the Urban
Oaks Organic Farm;
the former Howard Cleaners has been remediated and is now
ready for private purchase.
Some forty residents are now employed at a Walgreens store, which has
won several national awards for good corporate citizenship. Walgreens
purchased the former Russell & Erwin property in December 2002, completed
development in August 2003 and opened a month later.
New Britain has a population of about 75,000 people, with a density
seven times the state average. Twenty-seven percent of the population is of
Hispanic or Latino descent, while another eleven percent are of African-
American descent. The median household income is just over $34,000 a
year, compared to almost $54,000 for the state, according to the 1 999 US
Census.
Russell & Erwin, once New Britain's largest hardware producer, built the
site at 102 Washington St. in 1887. The company later became the
American Hardware Corporation in 1 902 and the Emhart
Company in 1 964. The parcel maintained its hardware production roots
until the Emhart Co. shut down in the early 1 970s. The factory site was
later occupied by the state Department of Transportation for one year, a
private realty company until 1 979 and, finally, by Constructive Workshop
Inc., a non-profit training and employment facility. The city bought the
property in November 1993 after years of disrepair and underutilization.
The city originally planned to create a high-rise office building on the site as part of its ambitious
Landmark Center Project. But the Landmark Center lost financial momentum in the early 1 990s and the
site was offered for sale. By 1 998, the property was still not sold due to environmental contamination
concerns. Afire destroyed a portion of the main building in 1999 leaving only a two-story addition.
16/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields
-------
U.S. EPA New England
Brownfields Success Stories
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
Private businesses were not willing to invest in the dilapidated site due to rumored high cleanup costs and
liability issues.
Site assessments, funded with $1 8,000 from the original EPA Brownfields Assessment grant, were performed
by the TRC Environmental Corp. The assessment showed that there was no significant contamination
at the site beyond large amounts of debris and ash,
thus paving the way for redevelopment.
The community was involved in many aspects of
the property cleanup. Community meetings were
held describing the cleanup program and progress.
A community-based Brownfields Awareness and
Education Program was also created to reduce fears
associated with the redevelopment. The program
highlighted the economic and community benefits
of the property's redevelopment.
With EPA's help and the addition of new and
successful businesses to the area, New Britain is
finally taking back the many acres of abandoned,
unused and potentially contaminated properties in
the city and returning them to productive use.
http:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 17
-------
MAINE
EPA FUNDS HELP FORMER CIVIL WAR TEXTILE MILL
GET NEW ECONOMIC LIFE2004 UPDATE
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program and
Revolving Loan Fund Program
LEWISTON, ME- The Bates of Maine Woolen Mill, a former industrial anchor for western Maine, was
transformed into a modern and bustling economic hub following years of community and state involvement
and extensive assistance from EPA. Through an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant of $200,000 in 1 998,
an additional $75,000 in supplemental funding in 2000, and a $500,000 dollar Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund program set up in 1 999, the city of Lewiston cleaned and renovated the 1.2 million-
square-foot textile mill. The transformed complex will bring millions of dollars in new business investments
to the community's struggling economy.
With a history that dates back to the Civil War, the "Bates Mill" has been a focal point for industry in
Maine. The textile manufacturer helped outfit the legendary Grand Army of the Potomac and was the
largest employer in the state until the early 1 960s, when the domestic textile industry began to lose steam
due to the pressure of foreign competition. By 1992, the majority of shop operations had ceased and only
fifty workers remained. Operations stopped altogether soon after, leaving six acres and dozens of buildings
vacant and potentially contaminated. The city of Lewiston gained ownership
of the property and the Lewiston Mill Redevelopment Corporation, a nonprofit
organization, now manages the property.
The city of Lewiston has a population of 29,000 people. Unemployment
was over four percent in 2000, according to the US Census. Median
household income for the city is $29,000 per year and ten percent of the
population lives below the poverty level.
Faced with both an economic and environmental behemoth, city officials
and members of the community wanted to preserve the existing historic
structure. At the same time, they wanted to assess and then clean the
generations of contaminants that lurked at the site. The city enlisted the
help of EPA, and hired an independent environmental contractor to assess
contamination at the site.
Environmental assessments revealed levels of policyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, PCBs, volatile organic compounds, lead, asbestos, and petroleum products.
As a result of its assessment, EPA conducted a $387,000 Superfund removal in 1 999 that focused on
removing the PCB contamination, asbestos, and leaking drums. The EPA stepped in again in 1999
during the initial cleanup and awarded the city $500,000 to capitalize a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund program for the cleanup of the entire mill. The city then began the arduous cleanup. The plan
was to clean the buildings from the inside out to preserve as much of the existing historic value as
possible, while at the same time saving on demolition and debris cleanup costs.
By 2001, 284,000 square feet of the facility had been cleaned and leased to private businesses, including
a branch of Banknorth, the parent company of People's Heritage Bank, a portion of the University of
Maine, a popular restaurant, a telecommunications company, a photography arts center, a packaging
company and various nonprofit organizations and businesses. By 2003, 1,400 new jobs had been
created and the city's economy was given a boost with an additional $500,000 in annual tax revenue
and over $1 7 million in additional private sector investment.
18/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/regionO 1/brownfields
-------
U.S. EPA New England
Brownfields Success Stories
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
In 2003, the city granted the Lewiston Mills Redevelopment Corporation $1 50,000 of the initial loan to
clean the remainder of the property. Summit Environmental Consultants will oversee the redevelopment
and Environmental Projects Inc., based in Yarmouth, ME, will perform the actual cleanup work.
With EPA funding, the city was able to leverage a total of $41 million from federal, state, and local
sources, including $15 million in private investments. Through strong community involvement and effective
economic and development planning, the finalized Bates Mill complex will revitalize the downtown and
bring back some of the economic prosperity that the textile mill once enjoyed. It is expected to become the
hub of economic redevelopment for Lewiston. The finished complex is expected to employ more than
5,000 workers at a fitness and daycare center for employees, private businesses, and a regional conference
center.
h ftp:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 / 19
-------
MAINE
BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM HELPS REDEVELOP
CONTAMINATED SITES IN PORTLAND
Success in Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program
PORTLAND, ME - The vacant rail yard on the Portland Peninsula sat unused and contaminated for twenty
years. With the help of two EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants totaling $435,000 as well as a $500,000
grantto the city through the EPA Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Program, the citizens of this
major New England city are set to reclaim two key portions of what residents and city officials call "the
Bayside area."
The two sites comprise nearly an acre near Marginal Way in Portland. With the help of EPA's Brownfields
funding, the Portland Department of Planning and Development will use $1 75,000 of the loan fund to
transform these two sites into much-needed additional parking and to create an extension to Chestnut
Street that will be occupied by businesses, homes and apartments.
One of the oldest ports in the nation, today the Casco Bay town of Portland is Maine's largest city. The
historic shipping town has over 64,000 people, more than eight percent of them minorities. Although the
average household income was $35,650 in 1 999, more than 1,300 families or almost 1 0 percent live
below the poverty line. Although unemployment rates are low, the city is still in need of new business,
parking and affordable housing.
The Bayside area, located between the tidal flat of Back Cove and the city's bustling downtown, has an
almost 1 00-year history of heavy industrial use. The land was man-made using debris from the infamous
Portland fire of 1 865 as fill material. The fire destroyed nearly all of the historic downtown. Debris was
dumped into the ocean waters of Back Cove and the land was eventually filled in by various companies.
The rail yard, which comprises most of the Bayside brownfields, was
constructed in 1 91 0 on the newly formed land by a company today called
Guilford Transportation Co. The rail yard, which includes miles of track,
transported cargo until it was taken out of service in the 1980s. The rail
yard sat vacant and contaminated for the last twenty years until it was
bought by the state in 2002, and then by the city of Portland a year later.
Mayor Nicholas Mavodones, Jr., in his 2000 plan for Bayside brownfields
redevelopment, referred to the site as characterized by "disinvestment and
urban blight."
The Bayside redevelopment plan was created after two years of community
and local government cooperation. Community and civic groups, including
the Bayside Task Force, the Bayside Neighborhood Association, the city
council, and the Portland Planning Board have worked together to create
the all-encompassing plan that will make Bayside an attractive urban
gateway and extension of the downtown business district. The plan calls
fora rejuvenation of abandoned properties like the railroad parcel. Plans for redevelopment include the
addition of housing complexes, shops, businesses, open spaces, community and civic centers, and
additional parking.
A $200,000 EPA Assessment Grant laid the foundation for the plan, enabling Tewhey Associates, to
assess contamination at the rail yard parcel and other areas of the Bayside brownfields area in April 1 998
and to make recommendations on cleanup efforts in March 1 999. Armed with this information, the city
of Portland was able to create realistic plans for Bayside brownfields improvement.
20/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
http:7www.epa.gov/regionO 1 /brownfields
-------
U.S. EPA New England
Brownfields Success Stones
v/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
With preliminary assessments complete, the US EPA Brownfields Program stepped in again in 1 999 to aid
in Bayside cleanup with a $500,000 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Program grant. The city
then set up the Downtown Portland Corporation (DPC) to manage allocation and eventual repayment of
the loan. This large grant gave Portland the funds to launch a major cleanup effort within Bayside, which
was divided into targeted parcels for cleanup and redeveloped independently with loan funds.
The smaller of the two sites, a property owned by 1 61 Marginal Way, LLC , is a quarter of an acre that runs
from 1 61 Marginal Way to the existing end of Chestnut Street. The larger site of just over half an acre is
jointly owned by 1 61 Marginal Way, LLC and the Five Liver Company. This site holds the Department of
Human Services building.
EPA awarded an additional $135,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant to Portland in 2001 for more
assessments and to develop cleanup options. The assessment completed in July 2003 showed that soil
contaminant concentrations exceeded the 1 997 state guidelines. The black-stained, shallow soil samples
included high concentrations of both arsenic and lead and had fragments of coal, cinders and ash.
In August of 2003, the DPC loaned $1 75,000 of the original half-million dollar grant to the city to help
transform two sites in the railroad parcel. The funds were borrowed at no interest by the city from the DPC
and will be paid back within five years from either sale of real estate owned by the city in the Bayside area
or from city general funds.
As a result of the Chestnut Street extension, the swelling downtown will move even closer to the beautiful
bay area. The smaller of the two parcels will be used for the actual roadway extension and later for
housing, businesses, shops and community centers. The larger of the parcels will be used for additional
parking for the Department of Human Services.
The cleanup of these two properties will enable the plan for Bayside redevelopment to break new ground
in the fight for both economic and environmental success. The Chestnut Street extension paves the way for
a growing and more environmentally conscious downtown Portland.
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MAINE
THE RIVERWALK REDEVELOPMENT IN WESTBROOK, MAINE
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
The city of Westbrook, ME has used $250,000 in Brownfields assessment money to spur the renovation
of once contaminated properties into an office building and parking garage with greenspace and a
Riverwalk along the shores of the Presumpscot River. The development of the completed Riverwalk
redevelopment plan involves construction of several office buildings, some commercial business, a
riverfront boardwalk, walking trails, greenspace with picnic tables and benches, and a bike path that will
follow the Presumpscot River to connect with the neighboring Portland bike path.
The city celebrated the opening of the new Flannery Office Building and parking garage on two adjacent
riverfront properties -25 Bridge St. and 59 Dana Court-with a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 3,
2004. The building is currently occupied by CORE, Inc. which works with employers and health care
professionals to assist disabled or sick employees in returning to work after illness or injury. To date 380
employees have moved in and the company anticipates expanding to 41 0 employees.
The 1 35,000-square-foot office building and 550-space garage was redeveloped by Tim Flannery, a
local developer who owns Dana Warp Mill, a renovated mill building across the street. The city is
currently working with Mr. Flannery to issue a $900,000 loan to defray cleanup costs through the
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund, which was capitalized by a US EPA grant in 2003.
CORE relocated employees from across the Northeast to the new facility. The business also holds a lease
option to expand across the street into Dana Warp Mill. The
new building and Dana Warp Mill will be connected by a
glass-enclosed walkway above street level. CORE, Inc. chose
Westbrook for its new facility for, among other reasons, its "':.
abundant office space and flexibility for growth, as well as
its convenient access for transportation, nearby amenities for
employees, and the right price.
The city had pre-established two tax incremental financing
districts (TIFs) for the office building and the garage to help
defray development costs and lower leasing costs for CORE.
The city has leveraged $1 million in federal highway funds
and $250,000 in economic incentives to defray the $6 million
cost of the garage construction. The 550-space parking
garage will have 1 00 spaces reserved for the public.
The property at 25 Bridge St. was first developed in 1 868 by
Westbrook Manufacturing Co. The company made duck, a
heavy cotton cloth or canvas used for sails and tents. It also manufactured and dyed cloth for overalls.
In 1 885, the property had a large four-story building with a wheelhouse and repair shop, a weaving
building, three storage buildings, and a small shed. By 1 903, S.D. Warren purchased the property and
operated the S.D. Warren and Co. Electric Light and Power Co., Westbrook Station No. 2.
In 1 909, Dana Warp Mill Corp. bought the property and prepared threads for looms. The two western
buildings were used by Graige/Conant Electric and the other two buildings were used for storage.
Between 1 922 and 1 930 all the buildings were used for storage with a residence. In 1 955 Stultz Electric
Motor Co., took over ownership of the property.
The former Foye Mill, on 59 Dana Court, was an 8,000-square-foot brick building built in the 1 800s as
a part of the Westbrook Manufacturing Co. C.E. Noyes bought the building and used it for a tire retread
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factory. Peter Foye bought it in 1 984 and stripped the vacant buildings for lumber. In October 1 992 the
building burned down and all that remained was the filled-in foundation.
The city worked with Aquarian, formerly known as EER, Inc., to complete a $65,000 environmental
assessment. The second phase of the assessment revealed PCB levels in three transformers that exceed
Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
hazardous waste regulations. In the floor drains of
the Stultz building, arsenic, lead, PCBs, and
benzo[a]pyrene was determined to be at
concentrations exceeding DEP regulations.
Aquarian, Inc. recommended removing the
contaminated soil. It is also recommended removing
building debris from the former Foye Mill.
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MASSACHUSETTS
CHICOPEE, MA: THREE BROWNFIELDS
REDEVELOPMENT SUCCESS STORIES
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
Since 1 996, when Chicopee, MA. received $200,000 in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant funding, the
city has made the most of its money. Since then, Chicopee has assessed and redeveloped five sites,
leveraged $2.5 million in redevelopment and construction money, and created! 00 redevelopment jobs.
For this city of 55,000, in which many people live below the poverty line, the Brownfields money has
spurred much needed redevelopment and given new life to important downtown properties. Three sites
described below are examples of how the city redeveloped properties.
The former Bay State Wire Co. was the first Chicopee property evaluated for contamination using
EPA's assessment grant. The almost two-acre property was home to a 50,000-square-foot building built
in 1913 by the C.F. Church Manufacturing Co. The property was sold to the Bay State Wire Co. in 1983
and in 1 990 two fires destroyed the building. The city began plans for an assessment and cleanup in
1 991, the same year the land was purchased by Bay Reality Inc. The acerage began to draw the attention
of surrounding neighborhoods because of the dangerous environmental contamination and growing
acts of vandalism committed in and around the charred and degraded property.
Using $130,000 from EPA's Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Program, the city began an
environmental assessment in 1996. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. performed investigations and
environmental testing on the property and in 1997 reported finding a leaking methyl-ethyl ketone
underground storage tank (LIST) that required immediate action. Seven other USTs were found on the
property containing fuel oils, plasticizers, kerosene and other liquids. Six above-ground storage tanks
were also discovered, but most were empty. Other hazardous materials found included asbestos, lead,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury.
The remains of the former Bay State Wire buildings were demolished and cleared, and the underground
tanks and hazardous wastes were removed, at a total cleanup cost of $196,000. City officials, the
Willimansett Neighborhood Improvement League and EPA New England worked together to oversee
cleanup and demolition activities on the property, which were funded by the city and state.
The city took ownership of the property from Bay Realty through tax foreclosure in 2000. Two years later,
it was clean and ready fora future owner. The property was subsequently sold to E. Joseph Montemagni,
a private developer who has plans for office space and storage for a local company. The restored site
removes a source of crime and contamination and offers the promise of jobs and new business to
Willimansett, one of the most economically downtrodden neighborhoods in the city.
The site of the former JG Roy Lumber Co., a lumberyard for nearly seventy five years, is on the
brink of a redevelopment that will bring critical economic and environmental improvements to a low-
income Chicopee neighborhood. The almost six-acre property, home to eleven buildings, is ready for
redevelopment following a site assessment funded with an EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant.
JG Roy Lumber, which occupied the property from 1 924 to 1 979, produced, treated, stored and sold
lumber. Carbon tetrachlorides and various other chemicals used to treat the lumber were allowed to drip
into the ground. The Hallahan Lumber Co. boughtthe property in 1 979, and in 1 998 the city acquired
the potentially contaminated property through a tax foreclosure.
Tighe & Bond conducted an environmental site assessment funded by a $41,600 EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant. The initial assessment found low levels of tetrachlorides and arsenic in the soil that did
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not require remediation. By October 1 999, the property was ready for redevelopment. The adjoining
property owner, J. Polep Distribution Services, purchased the site in 2002, completed the remaining
remediation and cleared the existing buildings for the future expansion of its warehouse and distribution
business.
J. Polep borrowed Community Development Block Grant funds to pay for the cleanup and demolition
work. The expansion of J. Polep Distribution Services will also remove blighted buildings and replace them
with an industrial and commercial entity that will be highly visible from busy Interstate 391.
Afull-service Department of Motor Vehicles branch office, opened at 1 01 1 ChicopeeSt., has contributed
greatly to the revitalization of the surrounding Willimansett neighborhood. An EPA Assessment Grant
paid for assessments that cost more than $35,000 and helped create a long-term strategy for the once-
contaminated property's redevelopment.
The property of more than 21,000 square feet had a contamination history of sixty seven years. Tri-City
Cleaners bought the site in 1 970 and owned it for almost thirty years until the city took possession in 1997
through a tax foreclosure. The Office of Community Development saw the heavily contaminated property
as a possible focal point for a redevelopment plan that would encompass several other contaminated
properties throughoutthe Chicopee area.
TheTRC Environmental Corp. performed an environmental assessment of the property, funded through
an EPA Assessment Grant, which paved the way for redevelopment. By July 2000, the TRC assessments
had found widespread contamination. Armed with this information, the city was ready to perform a
cleanup and redevelop the contaminated property.
By 2002, the city had renovated the existing building to create a full service branch of the Department of
Motor Vehicles (DMV). The cleanup was funded with a Chicopee Community Development Block Grant
and other city and state funds. The DMV office has spurred increased tax revenues in the low-income
neighborhood surrounding the property, increased police presence in the community, and offered residents
well-paid employment.
http:/www. epa.gov/region01/brownfields
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MASSACHUSETTS
FORMER FITCHBURG RUBBER FACTORY BECOMES AN URBAN OASIS
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
FITCHBURG, MA - The fenced and charred foundation of the Hope Rubber Plant on Boulder Drive in
historic Fitchburg MA was transformed from a contaminated and potentially dangerous urban eyesore
into the beautiful and relaxing Riverfront Park - complete with an outdoor theater, nature trails, and
expansive green lawns. This redevelopment was made possible in part by a 2001 EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant of $200,000.
Hope Rubber, a plastic and rubber parts manufacturer, closed shop in the 1 990s. The 35,000-square-
foot building remained vacant until the Fitchburg Planning Department applied for an EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant. The redevelopment of almost two acres is part of a commitment to revitalization by the
Fitchburg Planning Department and the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority. The park has paved the
way for this large New England community, hit hard by economic downfall in recent decades, to begin
a period of economic and aesthetic rebirth.
The Riverfront Park, which meanders along the Nashua River in downtown Fitchburg, is now the key
element in the city's proposed $43 million Fitchburg Urban Revitalization Program. The park includes a
river promenade, green lawns and trees, and
comfortable benches. Plans call for a renovated
railroad car to sell refreshments, a large band shell
for musical and theatrical performances, and a
structurally renovated Old Iron Bridge. The
redevelopment is projected to cost $700,000.
Fitchburg, a city of 41,000 people, encompasses
twenty-eight square miles. It borders the Nashua River,
fifty miles west of Boston and twenty five miles north
of Worcester. It includes rural spaces and a relatively
vacant urban core. Its unemployment rate was nearly
double the national average in 1999, and with almost
twelve percent of the population below the poverty
rate, this troubled community was in need of help.
When the General Electric plant in town closed in
1 998, more than 600 residents lost their jobs and
the number of vacant buildings, already numerous
throughout the city, grew. The GE shutdown spurred
a needed urban renaissance within the city. By May
of that year a complete Urban Renewal Plan was
prepared. The renewal program targeted urban
brownfields, including the massive and
contaminated 40 Commercial St. location of the
former Hope Rubber Plant.
The EPA grant enabled the city to hire TRC
Environmental Corp. to conduct environmental
investigations that determined the abandoned
industrial property contained surface soils and
groundwater contaminated with lead and arsenic
that posed an unacceptable risk to human health. Four underground storage tanks were also found on
the property and later removed byCyn Environmental Services on behalf of the former owner- Commercial
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Street Realty Trust. The tanks were found to contain fuel oil and liquids. One had a small leak that had
leached petroleum hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the surrounding soil.
Asbestos-containing materials, later removed by Patriots Environmental Corporation, were also found in
the building.
Within just two years, 1 55 cubic yards of contaminated materials were removed and 1 8 inches of clean
cover material was put into place. The brand-new Riverside Park opened August 23, 2003 with a
spectacular summer concert in its new theater.
The park was a collaborative effort that included
residents in every aspect of the cleanup and
redevelopment. Residents weighed in on small details
like benches and street lamps as well as huge
decisions like the architectural design firm. The
Riverfront Park Citizens Committee, made up of
business leaders, residents, and government officials,
hired the Cambridge architectural firm of Carol R.
Associates to design the project. Construction of the
park was performed by Northern Construction Services
of Weymouth.
The first phase of redevelopment is now complete.
The almost $530,000 project was funded by both
the state Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
and Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority and included
removing debris, filling in the building foundation,
paving of walkways, lighting, benches, plants, grass,
trees, fencing and more.
"The Fitchburg Riverfront Park provides people with
a place to enjoy the outdoors and the river as a
community," said Lisa Wong of the Fitchburg
Economic Development Office. "It has proven that
it has the potential to draw people back downtown."
In 2003, the EPA awarded the Fitchburg
Redevelopment Authority an additional $200,000
Assessment Grant so that seven more brownfields
sites in the community can be assessed for contaminants. Armed with this information, Fitchburg will once
again be prepared to reclaim a portion of the blighted urban compact and experience another environ mental
and economic victory like Riverfront Park.
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MASSACHUSETTS
LAWRENCE PROJECT OPENS DOOR TO ECONOMIC,
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
LAWRENCE, MA- Among the oldest and most historic mill cities of the Northeast, Lawrence sits along
the rushing Merrimack River. This once booming industrial center is now one of New England's poorest
cities, with one of the region's highest unemployment rates. Public agencies, businesses, and community
groups have worked together to create an all-encompassing plan to bring economic and environmental
renewal through a development called the Lawrence Gateway Project.
Named after the historic downtown canal district that will be its home, the Lawrence Gateway Project is
funded through private and public sources, including over $1 million in EPA Brownfields Program funds.
The multimillion dollar project involves developing transportation, cleanup of the numerous mill buildings,
transforming landfills into safe and usable properties, and creating affordable housing.
Lawrence, an industrial center in the 1 9th century, was home to textile production. Harnessing the great
power of the Merrimack River, the city's industrial roots were enmeshed with the extensive systems of
canals, penstocks, and turbines that powered and transported raw materials to the city's huge mills. By
thel 970s the industry began to collapse due to competition from textile imports. Thousands of workers
were laid off and dozens of factories shutdown. Many of these factories have remained abandoned or
underutilized.
The average household income in Lawrence in 1 999 was only $24,500. More than a fifth of the population
lived below the poverty line in 2000. People of Latino heritage make up over half of the city's population,
many of them of Puerto Rican heritage.
Transportation improvements center around the 1-495 interchange project, made possible by the
Massachusetts Highway Department. The new interchange will create a defined gateway into the downtown.
More traffic into the downtown will bring more potential business and the
need to improve the area's appearance. The link to 1-495 will also improve
traffic flow into the area, and link the interstate to the improved Spicket
River Bridge. In addition to the new interchange, ramps will be realigned
and roads and bridges, including the Spicket River Bridge, will be constructed
or refurbished.
The program will also address the problem of the numerous abandoned or
underutilized mills. A total of $400,000 from EPA's Brownfields Assessment
Grant Program will help the city to assess several key properties within the
Gateway area, including the former Oxford Paper site.
The factory, which once manufactured paper products, is now entering its
final stage of cleanup. A portion of the property will become a park, offering
urban residents a chance to enjoy open greenspace every day.
Inferior of abandoned mi.
Cleanup of the nearby GenCorp property is also a major cornerstone of
the Gateway Project. The GenCorp site, an 8.6-acre brownfields property, has an industrial history
dating back to 1848 and an extensive history of contamination. GenCorp, a Fortune 500 company,
purchased the property in 1 955 and manufactured plastic products until the plant closed down in 1981
due to poor economic conditions and excess capacity in the industry. The estimated $ 1 00 million assessment
and cleanup of the GenCorp site is in its final stages. The work was done voluntarily and entirely at the
expense of GenCorp under the approval authority of EPA. The property will eventually be redeveloped
into needed parking and landscaped community spaces.
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Another highlight of the plan is the Landfill Conversion Program. Aformer
landfill site has been transformed into a clean, safe, and enjoyable
recreational park on the banks of the Merrimack River. This successful
cleanup, made possible through a joint effort by the city, EPA, MassHighway,
and the MA Department of Environmental Protection, offers the community
open green space and river views.
Lawrence CommunityWorks, a non-profit organization thatfocuses on job
training, housing, and economic opportunities, has successfully put in place
the Summer Street Home Ownership Project and the Our House Family
Learning Center.
Groundwork Lawrence was established by the city in partnership with the
EPA and the National Park Service to improve the environment through
community partnerships. Groundwork supports park improvement, clean-
up and planting days, Adopt-a-Space programs, and environmental
education. The Groundwork team also partnered with the Reviviendo
Gateway Initiative, a 38-member steering committee, to form a guide to redevelopment to help ensure the
safety and happiness of the community through all aspects of the Gateway project.
With the Lawrence Gateway plan already well underway, this urban community has become a beacon of
economic and environmental renewal throughout Massachusetts. As a result, many other disadvantaged
communities are beginning to follow this very successful and very impressive first act.
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MASSACHUSETTS
EPA GRANT PAVED WAY FOR NEW LOWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
LOWELL, MA - When the Kathryn "Kay" Stoklosa Middle School is completed, it will become an anchor
for urban revitalization in one of Lowell's oldest and most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The public middle school will help reduce crowding in Lowell classrooms and provide children and their
families with open space that is limited in the urban Acre neighborhood. Through the help of an EPA
Brownfields Assessment Grant and following the efforts of state and local organizations, local residents,
and area community groups, the site of the new school has been assessed. Cleanup efforts are now
gearing up, and the school is projected to open its doors to some 660 students as early as August 2005.
The Acre neighborhood is known historically for its predominantly immigrant and minority population.
This oldest of Lowell neighborhoods was settled by Irish immigrants who labored in nearby factories and
helped build the city's canals. The Irish built a strong industrial foundation for the neighborhood. More
recently people from Greece, Latin America, and Asia have made Lowell their home. The neighborhood
quickly became overpopulated and living conditions
began to deteriorate as buildings fell into disrepair.
Conditions declined until the 1970s and were
deplorable until local officials began plans for the
Acre Urban Revitalization and Development Plan
in 1992.
With 1 03,000 residents, Lowell is the fourth largest
city in Massachusetts. Just twenty five miles from
Boston, the city has a rich industrial and cultural
history. The largest employment sectors in the city
are industrial manufacturing and education.
According to the 2000 census, almost seventy
percent of the population lives below the poverty
level. Aboutfourteen percent of the total population
is of Asian ancestry and eleven percent is Hispanic.
The Acre Urban Revitalization and Development Plan
will transform the majority of the 600-acre
neighborhood and will be anchored by the Stoklosa
Middle School. The plan is to redevelop about 1 1 3
acres in the bustling heart of the city, including
approximately six acres that is home to the middle
school. This effort encompasses dozens of
abandoned and underused properties, light industrial
facilities, failed or failing businesses, small housing
complexes, and thousands of square feet of
environmental contamination.
The first step taken in the creation of the Stoklosa
Middle School was to determine what environmental
contaminants lurked under dozens of dilapidated
buildings. EPA's Assessment Grant helped fund a
site investigation conducted by local environmental contractor TRC. The site assessment revealed
concentrations of arsenic, cyanide, lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in low-depth soil
samples. Concentrations of arsenic, cyanide, volatile organic compounds and PAHs were also found in
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groundwater samples. Fortunately, all levels of contamination were determined not to be a threat to
human health.
Armed with site assessment information, the city now has the tools to begin plans to clean the property.
Cleanup efforts will include removal of thousands of pounds of contaminated soil, capping and improving
demolition, debris removal, and extensive paving.
EPA Brownfields funds were also used for other aspects of the middle school's development. EPA funds
open several avenues for community outreach, including the development and dissemination of fact
sheets, public meetings with officials and the community, a website, a public document repository for site
redevelopment, and translation services for the many non-English speaking residents.
The Kathryn Stoklosa Middle School is bound on the north by Broadway, on the south by Rock Street, on
the west by School Street, and on the east by Mt. Vernon Street. The school will sit on almost six acres, and
over an acre and a half of this will be reclaimed greenspace in the form of active recreation areas, such
as basketball courts and a soccer field. The school will improve educational opportunities for the city's
children, create or retain an estimated seventy five permanent jobs, and will become the focus of the
Acre Urban Revitalization Plan.
The key component of the Acre Urban Revitalization and Development plan was the Citizens Advisory
Committee, made up of residents, local businesses and institutions, local community organizations, the
National Park Service, and city agencies. Various presentations were given by community groups to be
sure that each community voice was heard during the redevelopment preparations. Groups included The
Coalition for a Better Acre Task Force, the Acre Neighbors Group, business owners in the project area,
and the Lowell Planning Board. Additionally, two city council meetings were held on the topic and
televised on Local Access Cable.
The school will bring new vibrance to a neighborhood which has been plagued by disrepair and economic
hardship.
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MASSACHUSETTS/NEW HAMPSHIRE
FORMER BROCKTON SHOE FACTORY LANDS ON ITS FEET
Success in EPA Brownfields Targeted Assessment Grant Program
BROCKTON, MA - A $50,000 EPA Brownfields grant has turned the site of a burned out factory building
in Brockton, MA into the new, 60,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for David Gooding, Inc.
A July 1 994 fire destroyed King Size Co. on Spark Street and left the six-acre site idle for the next ten
years. The city of Brockton embarked on the path to reuse in 1 997 when EPA awarded the city a Targeted
Brownfields Assessment. An EPA-hired consultant conducted an environmental assessment of soil and
groundwater in February 1 997, and again in September 1 999, to define the nature and extent of hazardous
waste contamination on site.
The site was cleaned by Fleet Environmental Services, which also purchased the property under an
agreement with the city. Fleet was unable to fulfil its original plan, to build its headquarters and a training
center. Instead, the company sold the property in 2002 to DGI, LLC, the real estate holder for David
Gooding Inc. Fleet's tax agreement with the city was amended and transferred to DGI, which will realize
a property tax reduction of $321,422 over thirteen years because of the previous contamination. In
addition, DGI will be able to claim a five percent investment tax credit from the state. City officials
estimate the company's investment will produce $986,927 in new taxes for the city over thirteen years.
This valuable commercial space is strategically located in Brockton's economic corridor and adjacent to
the commuter rail station. DGI, founded in 1980 in Warwick, Rl, is a manufacturer's representative
providing goods to plumbing, heating, and PVF wholesalers. Since 1980, DGI has grown to about
seventy employees with over half located in the Brockton facility, serve a territory from Maine to Virginia.
The headquarters office is in Brockton with a satellite office in Bristol, PA. The company has invested $3.2
million in construction and $500,000 in equipment for its new state-of-the-art headquarters.
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OLD MILLS BECOME NEW CONDOS IN NEWMARKET, NH
Success in EPA Brownfields Targeted Assessment Grant Program
NEWMARKET, NH -When Ebenezer Smith operated grist and saw mills on the banks of the Lamprey River
in Newmarket NH in the early 1 9th century, he had no idea that he was the beginning of a 1 50-year
tradition of industries on the site. Over the years,
the grist mill hosted a range of industry including:
r textile mills, a shoe factory, a manufactured gas
,
plant, a metal rolling and stamping factory, a
brewery, and finally an electronic insulator plant.
The downtown mills represented the very heart and
vitality of the Newmarket community for more than
a century and a half. When manufacturing migrated
from New England in the late 20th century, the mill
became an eyesore and a burden to the community;
a polluted and vacant brownfields site.
Through cooperation among corporations, investors
and town, state, and federal governments, the
industrial days of the site have been put cleanly in
the past; today a group of residents can proudly
call these buildings - transformed into condos -
home.
The success story began in 1988, when United
Technologies Corporation sold the industrial complex
to the Essex Group. United Technologies knew the
site harbored environmental contamination and
agreed, as a condition of the sale, to pay for future
cleanup of environmental contamination on site.
Environmental investigations that followed revealed
petroleum contamination, the likely source being
No. 6 fuel oil. By the mid-1 990s, cleanup of the
fuel oil had begun.
The town of Newmarket recognized the value of the
site and in 1 997 negotiated with the Essex Group to
have property transferred to the Newmarket Community Development Corporation (NCDC). In the spring
of 1 998, the mill space was transferred to the development corporation to be turned into residential
housing.
Before this transfer, the cleanup had centered around removing petroleum tanks and the light fuel oil from
groundwater. Once the site was slated for housing, the development corporation concluded a new
environmental assessment was needed. The site was designated as a Brownfield in 1 998 and the Coastal
Program of the NH Office of State Planning used some $25,000 in EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment
funds for additional site assessment work.
The Assessment revealed that a manufactured gas plant-a coal gasification plant used to produce gas
for lighting the mill -once operated onsite. Contaminants that were most likely related to this process were
found in the soil and groundwater and United Technologies agreed to clean the remaining contamination.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
A new cleanup plan was prepared and in June 2001 about 1,200 tons of contaminated soils were
removed from the site. Consultants GZAGeoEnvironmental, Inc. and GEI prepared the plans. To reduce
concerns over potential future liability, developers used the NH Brownfields Covenant Not to Sue Program.
Under this program, the state cannotforce any additional cleanup work for contamination issues already
addressed in the approved cleanup plan.
At that point, the developer, Chinburg Builders Inc, was ready to move
forward with redevelopment. The first phase was completed in 2002 and
created 36 condominium units in the cut granite building. The condos
were sold at market value ranging from about $200,000 to $425,000
each. Before it was developed as condos, the portion of the mill now
occupied by these homes brought in $6,1 00 a year in taxes. The condos
are expected to generate $200,000 to $300,000 annually in property taxes
for the town. An additional $4.5 million has been authorized in bonding
for infrastructure improvements in town along with $1 5 million in capital
public improvements brought in as a result of a tax increment financing
(TIP) agreement.
Future development at the site may bring office space or other mixed-use
occupants. The successful reclamation of the Essex Mills property has been
a great boon for both the economy and environment of this town of 7,000 people. Public and private
partners working together at all levels have made Essex Mills a model for Brownfields redevelopment.
In the words of Al Dixon, Newmarket town manager, "It's the way Brownfields redevelopment is
supposed to work."
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U.S. EPA New England
Brownfields Success Stones
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
RESIDENTS OF DISADVANTAGED PROVIDENCE NEIGHBORHOODS
TAKE BACK CONTAMINATED PORTIONS OF CITY WITH SUPPORT
FROM EPA JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS
Success in EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant Program
PROVIDENCE, Rl - One of Providence's most innovative and successful
environmental non-profit organizations, Groundwork Providence Inc., has
teamed up with EPA to provide the necessary training to restore some of
Providence's most contaminated neighborhoods and properties. With the
help of a $200,000 EPA Brownfields Job Training Grant in 2002,
Groundwork Providence has begun training and recruiting local residents
directly affected by environmental contamination to help transform desolate
portions of the city into clean, community-friendly businesses, green spaces
and affordable housing.
In 1 997, the Keep Providence Beautiful program began a program called
Groundwork Providence, modeled after a successful environmental
organization in the United Kingdom. Since then, Groundwork Providence
has designed a successful business plan that links communities - particularly
youth - with their local environment.
The mission of Groundwork Providence is to improve and manage the environment by developing community-
based partnerships that empower people, businesses and organizations to promote environmental, economic
and social well-being. Groundwork's innovative approach unifies and improves both the community and
the surrounding environment. Groundwork understands the value that can still be found in old industrial
cities and that abandoned and underused factories and deteriorating housing can be transformed through
community partnerships. The program focuses on some of the most contaminated portions of Rhode Island's
cities.
Five years after Groundwork's beginning, it received a $200,000 EPAJob Training Grant. These funds
have been used to develop a community outreach campaign that reaches into the heart of Providence's
most hard-hit economic areas by recruiting young, unemployed or undereducated residents to take part
in training that will certify them for jobs in environmental contracting work. The program has trained
dozens of men and women to handle and remove hazardous substances, to use and develop environmental
treatment and assessmenttechnologies, and to physically, chemically and biologically reduce hazardous
wastes in their community. The program has given a group of nearly 1 00 graduates the chance to earn
salaries and benefits packages previously not available to them.
The Rl Economic Development Corporation will help recruit companies that contract with environmental
cleanup projects to help place program graduates. The Community College of Rhode Island will provide
the environmental training and remediation technology for students to practice and learn and the Rl
Committee on Occupational Safety and Health will provide worker health and safety training. All the
program's public and private partners serve on an advisory committee.
The two main components of Groundwork Providence's business plan are outreach and recruitment.
Outreach involves partnerships with community-based literacy organizations, social service agencies and
neighborhood-based outreach meetings to distribute educational brochures about the impact of Brownfields
sites on their community. The program focused its recruitment efforts in three of Providence's most
disadvantaged neighborhoods: Smith Hill, South Providence and Olneyville. These three neighborhoods
have unemployment rates that reach twenty percent, much greater than the state average. Over twenty
percent of the residents in these neighborhoods live below the poverty level. In some cases, nearly half live
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BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004 ' 35
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RHODE ISLAND
below the poverty level. These diverse neighborhoods are made up of large groups of people of Hispanic
origins.
Once recruited, trainees take part in an eight-week, three-step curriculum
created with inputfrom some of Rhode Island's most prominent employers,
educators and industry professionals. Groundwork supports graduates in
their subsequent job searches, offering help with cover letters, resumes,
references, employment testing and interviews. Groundwork aims to place
a minimum of forty-one participants a year. Groundwork then tracks each
graduate's employment situation.
Graduates take on some of Providence's most difficult environmental
challenges and help bring real and lasting environmental change to their
city. Groundwork environmental plans include redevelopment work that
will help the community reconnect with their natural surroundings through
the creation of open greenspaces. Among the projects being planned: a
Mashapaug Pond Boardwalk, Mosshasuck River Nature Retreat, Summit
Neighborhood Urban Forest mapping project and various community
gardens.
Earlier this year, Groundwork Providence was awarded an additional $1 50,000 from EPA's Job Training
Program to institute a similar program for Pawtucket area residents. Through the efforts of Groundwork
Providence and the financial and program goals set forth by the EPA, the most disadvantaged members
of the Providence and Pawtucket communities will be ready to embrace their own economic and
environmental future and help bring real and lasting environmental change to their communities.
36/ BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM SUMMARY & SUCCESS STORIES 2004
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U.S. EPA New England
Brownfields Success Stories
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
River Island Community Park
AWARD-WINNING NATURE TRAIL AND COMMUNITY PARK
REPLACE FORMER YARN MILL
Success in EPA Brownfields Targeted Assessment Grant Program
CENTRAL FALLS, Rl - Helped by a $30,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant,
Central Falls, Rl has reclaimed part of its community and brought vital
greenspace to an economically disadvantaged area.
After contamination was assessed at the former Spintex Mil I at 1461 High
St., the riverfront city was able to create two award-winning urban green
spaces the River Island Community Park and Blackstone River Island
Nature Trail that are both safe and beautiful gathering spots recognized
throughout the state.
The former yarn mill was abandoned by owner Herman J. Beckstoffer Jr. in
1 986. The property sat idle for 1 2 years and burned down in 1 995. By
1 996, the city foreclosed on the property due to the $35,000 in back taxes.
The city was unable to sell the property. No private company would
redevelop the two-acre site because of rumors of hazardous and costly
environmental contamination. In 1 997, the city requested help from EPA's
Brownfields Program to assess contamination levels at the site and estimate
cleanup costs.
EPA New England's Brownfields Program contracted Roy F Weston Inc. of
Burlington, MA to assess contamination on the site. The first phase was
completed in July 1 997 and the second phase was completed in January
1 998. Extensive soil sampling revealed the presence of demolition debris
and contaminants above residential exposure standards.
Astudy of cleanup options and costs completed in July 1 998 recommended
more assessments to further delineate the environmental hazards. It
estimated the cleanup would cost $290,000. This cost was later wrapped
into the park's overall construction costs.
Demolition, cleanup and construction of the River Island Community Park and Blackstone River Island
Nature Trail began in late 1 998. By 1 999, the city was set to hire a design firm to give vision to the
greenspace. Gifford Design Group of Cumberland, Rl designed a redevelopment plan that honored the
community's desire to preserve the unique flora and fauna of the river island. The finalized River Island
Community Park and Blackstone River Island Nature Trail would encompass the mill site along with a 4.1 -
acre adjacent island that is separated from the mainland by the scenic Blackstone River. The island was
donated by the Rl Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
The two greenspaces include an exercise track, nature hiking trails, a field house, a multipurpose field for
community sports and play, a pedestrian bridge over the Blackstone River to the island park, and a canoe
launch for excursions down the river. The two new nature areas are maintained by Central Falls' Public
Works Department and the Parks and Recreation Department.
In May 2003, the two redeveloped sites were selected to receive the John H. Chafee Award from the
Environmental Council of Rhode Island. The award recognizes the city for providing outdoor recreational
areas while preserving the natural habitats and structures at the site.
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RHODE ISLAND/VERMONT
In addition to the $30,000 EPA Brownfields grant, the city received the following funding: $550,000 from a
Community Development Block Grant; $225,000 from a Rl DEM Open Space Bond; $25,000 from a Rl
Recreation Area Grant from the State's Greenways Council; and $46,348 from the Rl Department of
Transportation's Trails Program.
The population of Central Falls, nearly 1 9,000, is almost half Hispanic or Latino. The unemployment rate was
nearly five percent in 1 999, compared to the state's rate of almost 4 percent. Median household incomes in
the city are almost half of the state's, with the average household making only $23,000 a year, compared to
the state's $42,000 a year. In Central Falls, 22 percent of families make under $10,000 a year. These
numbers leave a huge twenty-six percent of the population below the poverty level, compared to a state
average of less than nine percent.
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U.S. EPA New England
Brownfields Success Stones
v/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
$200,000 EPA ASSESSMENT GRANT HELPS GIVE A
VERMONT TOWN'S ECONOMY AND HISTORIC FACTORY
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
HARTFORD, VT-The historic Twin State Fruit factory is on the brink of an economic and environmental
recovery thanks to a $200,000 EPA Assessment Grant awarded to the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional
Commission. The grantfunded a site assessment at this once-abandoned and contaminated 0.7-acre
industrial property, leaving the parcel ready for a new commercial developer and promising new jobs
and economic growth to the surrounding industrial neighborhood.
The original building, in the heart of Hartford's Central Business District, was built in the 1 890s. The
building's structure and history enabled it to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The
building, which stands on the southern side of the White River, operated as a feed and grain business
until 1 925. Twin State Fruittook over ownership of the property in 1927.
Under Twin Fruit's ownership, the building became an industrial cornucopia. An apple cellar, two banana
ripening rooms, a wet refrigerator for vegetables, a canned storage area, a wine room and large freezers
were all added to the original wood-framed building during the 60 years the company owned the
property. The company, a warehouse and wholesale store, distributed fresh fruits and vegetables and
frozen food from 1 927 through 1 989.
The property was used most recently by the Twin State Restaurant Supply Co. When the supply company
left in 1 995, the building stood vacant and fell into disrepair, except for the use of a front office space by
a potential developer in 1 997. This developer explored the possibility of transforming the site into an
assisted living facility, but budget constraints, historic preservation issues and potential environmental
contamination barred the way and development plans were abandoned.
The town of Hartford has a population of over 8,200 people. About 8.5 percent of the residents live
below the poverty level and 2.2 percent are unemployed, according to the 2000 census. Through the
efforts of the EPA, the town of Hartford, a private developer, the Vermont Department of Environmental
Conservation and the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, there is hope for the town's
important and historic Central Business District to return to its rich and economically vibrant roots.
The town of Hartford and the property, at 25 Railroad Row, came under the wing of the Two Rivers-
Ottauquechee Regional Commission in 2003. The site assessment uncovered the presence of environmental
contamination and provided estimates on cleanup costs. This information helped lift the stigma of
environmental contamination and gave the current developer an idea of cleanup costs.
The preliminary assessment, performed in 2003, uncovered the presence of three underground storage
tanks, two of which still contained fuel oil. The assessment also discovered the presence of asbestos,
lead-based paint and other contaminants associated with the nearby railroad, including lead, arsenic,
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons.
Based on the findings, a limited subsurface environmental assessment was performed. This assessment
focused on the underground tanks and their removal. The tanks were found to be leaking into groundwater
and surface soils. Armed with this assessment information, a developer is cleaning up the site and has
removed the tanks.
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www.epa.gov/ne/brownfields
www.epa.gov/ne/superfund
United States 1 Congress Street EPA 901-R-04-003
Environmental Protection Boston, MA 02114 August 2004
Agency New England
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