brownfields
         A Look Back
     1994-2006
      &ER&
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England

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brownfields
revitalization  ,.   ,   ,
         in New England:
         A Look Back

      1994-2006
            United States
            Environmental Protection
            Agency New England

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1994 1995  1996 1997  1998 1999  2
             www.epa.gov/ne/brownfields
             t This report is printed on 100% recycled paper made from
              100% post-consumer waste, using vegetable based inks.
             On the Cover

             photo 1 of 3:
             Robertson on the River, Taunton, MA

             photo 2 of 3:
             Waypoint Visitors Center, Bellows Falls, VT

             photo 3 of 3:
             Sid Wainer & Son, New Bedford, MA

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                                         table of contents



                                           L.    Greeting from Regional Administrator Robert W. Varney



                                                Introduction



                                           O    Timeline



                                          I U   History of EPA New England's Brownfields Program



                                          I L.   Original Pilot Projects



                                          I O   Showcase Communities



                                         £.0   Brownfields & Environmental Justice



                                         •O L-   Rural Successes



                                                Non-profit Successes



                                         O £.   Quality of Life Improvements



                                         DU   Job Training Overview



                                                Contacts & Acknowledgements



                                         DO   Photographs
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Greeting from EPA New England
                      his year marks the 12th anniversary
                      of EPA's  Brownfields Program,  and
                      we are pleased to present this report,
                      Brownfields  Revitalization  in New
                      England: A Look Back, 1994-2006.
               Started as an agency initiative in 1994, EPA's
               Brownfields Program has evolved into a highly
               successful collaborative effort among a wide
               range  of federal,  state and local  partners,
               helping  communities  assess contamination
               and determine the costs of cleaning up sites
               for  redevelopment.  This  report  highlights
               some  of New  England's most successful
               brownfields redevelopment efforts, beginning
               with the  two original pilot projects in Boston,
               Mass.,  and Bridgeport,  Conn., and  featuring
               numerous revitalized sites that had  previous-
               ly been  abandoned and stigmatized by the
               possibility of environmental contamination.
NewEngland is rich in history and inshowcase
redevelopment projects that have improved
the quality of life across this region. As we
move into another  decade  of brownfields
redevelopment, we celebrate the revolution-
ary progress produced  by  many  urban  and
nonprofit groups to improve the quality of life
and providejob training across the region.

You'll read about the conversion of a former
contaminated rail yard into  a popular visitors'
center  in  rural  Vermont,  which  includes  a
replica  of  a historic  bridge that crossed the
Connecticut River. You will learn about how
contaminated  property in  an  economically
distressed neighborhood of Providence, R.I.,
is  being cleaned  up and  redeveloped  into
two special needs schools and  a community
center.  And you will follow how  the quality
of life  is  improving  for senior  citizens  in

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Nashua, N.H., after a major asbestos assess-
ment and cleanup allowed the expansion of
their center to include housing, a billiards
room, library, craft area, ballroom and gym.

Since  1994,  EPA has invested over $130  mil-
lion in hundreds of  New England communi-
ties, states,  agencies and  nonprofit groups.
In  2006, EPA's Brownfields  Program awarded
51  grants in New England  totaling  $11.4  mil-
lion.  Additionally, $283,528 in  Job Training
Grants were awarded to two nonprofit organi-
zations in 2006, bringing the total in Job Train-
ing Grants to $3.7 million. These investments
have leveraged another $524.9 million in fund-
ing from government and private sources for
cleanup and redevelopment, while also lever-
aging  thousands of  new jobs. EPA  estimates
that every acre of reclaimed brownfields saves
4.5 acres of green  space  and  every green
                                                space created, on average, doubles the value
                                                of surrounding properties.

                                                EPA is proud of our  partnerships with local
                                                communities, government agencies  and  pri-
                                                vate  investors that  have helped transform
                                                brownfields sites in Connecticut, Maine, Mas-
                                                sachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and
                                                Vermont into schools, housing, playing fields,
                                                new  businesses and  green space. We hope
                                                you enjoy this report; for more  information
                                                on the Brownfields Program in New England,
                                                please visit  our website at www.epa.gov/
                                                ne/brownfields.
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                                                Robert W. Varney
                                                Regional Administrator
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                                      19992
New partnerships
have emerged among communities,
government agencies and private
investors to restore and reuse thousands
of contaminated New England properties.

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                                 Introduction
                  "The Brownfields
                   Program is a top
              environmental priority
               for the Administrator.
              EPA is working with its
               state, Tribal and local
                partners to meet its
                objective to sustain,
               clean up and restore
            contaminated properties
              and abandoned sites."


                -- EPA Administrator
                Stephen L. Johnson
Contaminated lands can rob  a community of  its  economic  and
social vitality and potential.  New  England's long  and rich indus-
trial history left behind a legacy of old and oftentimes abandoned
properties in cities and towns.
       housands of New England properties are
       abandoned because owners and devel-
       opers fear environmental contamination
       and the associated liability. Called brown-
       fields, these properties are often unused
while  development consumes valuable open
space. New partnerships have emerged among
communities, government agencies and private
investors to restore and reuse these properties.

Brownfields grants are the foundation of EPA's Brown-
fields Program. These grants fund environmental
assessments, cleanups andjob training activities.

The Brownfields Assessment Grant  Program
provides  funding for  inventories,  planning,
environmental  assessments  and  community
outreach.  Local, state and tribal governments
are eligible to apply for funding. Applicants may
apply community-wide for $200,000 for hazard-
ous substances  and $200,000 for petroleum
assessments. Site-specific applications can also
be made for up to $350,000.
The Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan  Fund
Grant Program distributes funding to capitalize
loans that are used to clean up brownfields. Local,
state and tribal governments are eligible to apply
for funds to capitalize a revolving loan fund and
provide subgrants to conduct cleanup activities.
Up to $1 million is available per applicant. Repaid
loan funds can be used to make additional clean-
up loans.

The Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program funds
cleanup activities by  both municipalities and
nonprofit organizations. Grants of up to $200,000
per site are available. Applicants must own the
sites.

The Brownfields Job Training Grant Program pro-
vides funds for environmental training programs
for residents of communities with brownfields.
Colleges,  universities, nonprofit job training
centers, local government agencies and tribes
are eligible for funding of up to $200,000.
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                                            Brownfields Program
                                            Growth
                                                   he  EPA New  England  Brownfields
                                                   Program has experienced rapid growth
                                                   over the course of 12 years. The pro-
                                                   gram began with  a single  $200,000
                                                   grant awarded to the city of Bridgeport,
                                            Conn., in 1994 as part of EPA's Brownfields Pilot
                                            Initiative, and hassincef lourished into a program
                                            that supports more than 240 active brownfields
                                            grants. The EPA  New England Brownfields Pro-
                                            gram has 950 properties with its grant funding
and more than 35 grant recipients have received
at least two brownfields grants in New England.

A critical component to the success of EPA New
England's Brownfields Program is its ability to
engage grant recipients on a  personal level.
EPA targets outreach to specific groups of stake-
holders, such as small towns, rural communities
and nonprofit organizations, since these groups
can be unfamiliar with federal programs.
         "For a federal agency, EPA

           is so client-focused. Our

         success is because they're

           really there to help us."


                 - Susan McMahon
                 Windham Regional
                       Commission
                                           Total Number of Grants Awarded by EPA Region  (1994-2006)
0)
01

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EPA has worked in small towns where  local
officials believe they only have one  brown-
field. But after EPA New England staff con-
ducts some outreach and the local officials
understand the program better, the town will
identify many more brownfields in their com-
munity.

EPA provides  forums,  such  as  workshops,
conferences and trainings, to share informa-
tion. Recipients and potential grantees come
to hear about funding, new technologies and
other lessons  learned. This collective learning
can be  as valuable  as any funding.

"For a federal agency, EPA is so client-focused,"
said Susan McMahon, of the Windham Region-
al  Commission in Vermont.  "Our success is
because they're really there to help us."

Because of extensive  outreach  efforts and
increased resources, the EPA's national Brown-
fields Program has grown from  a pilot initia-
tive into an established program. This growth
and  success  is   mirrored in the EPA  New
England communities  which have received
among the highest proportion of brownfields
grants in the country. Additionally, the region
has received the mostjob training grants. Each
year, more and more entities apply for Brown-
fields Program funding, and EPA  is committed
to assisting everyone, from the largest cities to
the smallest towns of New England, to recog-
nize and realize their redevelopment visions.
Total Number of Grants Awarded in EPA Region  1  (1994-2006)
     2006

     2005

     2004

     2003
     2002

 _   2001
 to
 >^  2000
•g
 |   1999
 to
     1998

     1997
     1996

     1995

     1994
              The ability to engage

              grant recipients on a

              personal level is a critical

              component to the success
              of EPA New England's

              Brownfields Program.
          0          10         20         30         40
                                   total number of grants
                         50
60
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         Timeline
         EPA New England Brownfields Program (1994-2006)
                                  1998
                                  EPA announces 16
                                  Showcase Com-
                                  munities, including
                                  three in New Eng-
                                  land: Lowell, Mass.;
                                  Stamford, Conn.; and
                                  Providence, R.I.
                                  1999
                                  The city of Stamford,
                                  Conn., receives
                                  one of the first
                                  Brownfields Cleanup
                                  Revolving Loan Fund
                                  Program awards in
                                  the country.
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                     1994    1995   1996    1997   1998    1999
              1994
              National Brownfields
              Program begins as
              an initiative. In New
              England, Bridgeport,
              Conn., receives a
              demonstration pilot
              award of $200,000.
1995
EPA formally launches
the Brownfields
Program. Boston,
Mass., is chosen for
an assessment pilot.
1996
EPA and the Interna-
tional City / County
Management
Association (ICMA)
jointly sponsor the
first national Brown-
fields Conference in
Pittsburgh, Penn.,
with over 1000
participants.
1997
In its first few years,
New England's
Brownfields Program
leverages $28 million
in follow-up assess-
ment, cleanup and
redevelopment.
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2000
EPA makes an ad-
ditional 12 Showcase
Community awards,
including two in New
England: one to the
city of New Bedford,
Mass., and one to the
Mystic Valley Develop-
ment Commission in
Massachusetts.
2003
The EPA and other 2004
federal partners The total value of
announce three Brownfields Grants
Portfields Demon- awarded in New
stration Pilot Ports England since 1994
nationwide, including is now $91 million,
one in New Bedford, out of $700 million
Mass. nationwide.
2006
The annual nation-
wide Brownfields
2006 conference
is hosted by New
England at the Boston
Convention and
Exhibition Center.
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006















2001
To date, the Revolving
Loan Fund has sup-
ported 128 grantees
nationwide, of which
26 are in New Eng-
land.







2002
President George W.
Bush signs the Smal
Business Liability
Relief and Brownfiel
Revitalization Act,
commonly called
2003 2005 2006
EPA awards the first The total value of Job After a decade of
cleanup grants, 10 Training Grants award- success, the value
of which are in New ed in New England of EPA Brownfields
ds England. reaches $3.5 million, Grants awarded in
with 550 students
graduated.
the Brownfields Law,
which provides fund-
ing for cleanup and

expands eligibility to
nonprofit groups and
to sites with petro-
leum contamination

New England totals
over $130 million, and
it is estimated that
an additional $524.9
million was leveraged
to support further
assessment, cleanup
and redevelopment.


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         Even though
         New England is about the size of
         Washington state, the area has received the
         compared to the other nine EPA regions.

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                             History of EPA  New  England's
                             Brownfields  Program
          "EPA remains committed
          to protecting the public's
           health and the environ-
          ment, while encouraging
          the cleanup and reuse of
          contaminated properties
        throughout New England."

              -- EPA New England
                  Administrator
               Robert W. Varney
Since its  inception, the EPA National Brownfields Program has
spent more than $700 million and provided comprehensive tech-
nical assistance  to  help  states,  tribes, communities and other
stakeholders work together to redevelop brownfields sites.
      he   Brownfields   Program   was
      launched in 1994, and in that year a
      $200,000 Assessment Demonstration
      Pilot Grant was awarded to the City
      of Bridgeport, Conn. A second pilot
was awarded to the city of Boston, Mass., in
1995. Since then, EPA has awarded more than
$130 million in  brownfields grants to commu-
nities of New England.

Even though New England is about the size
of Washington state, the area has received the
second largest  number of brownfields grants
compared  to the  other nine  EPA regions.
A long industrial legacy has  left countless
factories with unknown contamination scat-
tered throughout the area. This is the type of
brownfields properties that  is ripe for rede-
velopment,  often  located near  waterfronts
or  in the heart of downtown areas. Rede-
velopment projects in  New England span
a wide range  of properties including rural,
industrial, waterfront and former mill sites.

Since 1994, the EPA New England  Brownfields
Program has proven that cleaning properties for
reuse is an effective way of meeting communi-
ties' needs and improving the environment and
overall quality of life. As the program grows, so
does the variety of types of grant recipients such
as regional planning commissions, councils of
government, nonprofits and universities.
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                                  Original  Pilot Project
                                  Bridgeport, CT
                                                                                            New stadium, home to the

                                                                                   Bridgeport Bluefish, in Bridgeport, CT
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     Bridgeport was

among the nation's

   first cities to use

stakeholder involve-

 ment together with

 the redevelopment
process to revitalize

   whole neighbor-

  hoods rather than

     parcels of land.
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        he city of  Bridgeport, Conn., is the
        largest and one of the most distressed
        cities in  Connecticut.  More than 60
        percent of city residents  are minori-
        ties  and the unemployment  rate is
almost twice that of neighboring  communi-
ties. Bridgeport has lost much of its manufactur-
ing base together with many jobs. Businesses
have also relocated to the suburbs of Bridge-
port, leaving behind several  hundred acres of
formerly prime industrial land in the city that lie
abandoned and underutilized.

To help revitalize  Bridgeport, EPA awarded the
city a $200,000 Brownfields Assessment Dem-
onstration Pilot Grant in 1994, which was the
first in the state. The grant was used to create
an inventory of brownfields sites  in the city.
Over the next 10 years, Bridgeport received
$1 million  in Brownfields Assessment Grants,
more than $2.15 million in Brownfields Clean-
up Revolving Loan Fund Grants, and $800,000
in Brownfields Cleanup Grants. Bridgeport also
benefited  from $398,500  in Brownfields Job
Training Grants. Additionally, more than $71
million and 500jobs have been leveraged.

Two  of the  most  notable redevelopment
efforts in Bridgeport are Went Field Park and
the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

Went Field Park
Two adjacent commercial properties in Bridge-
port have been cleaned up and redeveloped
to expand Went Field Park. The new 10-acre
multi-use park has improved recreational facili-
ties, open space, and educational opportuni-
ties. The park is now available for use as a safe
space by neighborhood  residents  and two
local schools that previously lacked recreation-
al and athletic facilities.

The city utilized its EPA Assessment Demon-
stration Pilot Grant funds to conduct environ-
mental site assessments on the Exmet site, the
location of a former metal  extrusion company,
and the Swan  Engraving site, the location of a
former printing company.  EPA also conducted
a $75,000  Targeted  Brownfields  Assessment
on the Swan Engraving site. The assessments
identified the presence of low-level solvents in
ground water, which are still being monitored.
As part of the applied study component  of
the Brownfields Job Training Program,  local
students were trained in ground water moni-
toring and data management.

As the largest community-based project in the
city and one of the largest in the country, issues
of crime, lack of funding,  and environmental
stigma were all overcome through meaningful
involvement in decision-making.  Bridgeport
was also one of the first  cities in the nation
to use stakeholder involvement together with
the redevelopment process to revitalize whole
neighborhoods rather than parcels of land.

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Ballpark at Harbor Yard
A highly-visible, abandoned, run-down prop-
erty was redeveloped into a new baseball sta-
dium  for the Bridgeport Bluefish,  an Atlantic
League Baseball team.

In 1990, Bridgeport was one of the poorest, yet
most  highly-taxed, cities in the  nation. Areas
of the city were experiencing economic decay,
as evidenced at the former Jenkins Valve site,
located directly at Bridgeport's main gateway.
Visitors arriving via the city's ferry,  in Amtrak
and Metro-North Railroad cars at Bridgeport's
train terminal  and in  vehicles  buzzing over-
head  on the Interstate 95 overpass, were all
subjected to a clear view of the abandoned,
run-down property.

Using a  portion  of the $200,000 EPA Brown-
fields Pilot Program Grant provided to the city
in 1994, an assessment was conducted on the
property. The Zurich Re Corporation  provided
$11  million to clean up and redevelop the site.
Additionally,  the  city provided $1 million and
the state provided $2 million.

This long-idle property was reopened as  a
5,500-seat ballpark in 1998. The ballpark project
created 361 jobs, 68 of which are permanent.
The success of the ballpark spurred interest in
further redevelopment of the area, including
the adjacent Arena at Harbor Yard, home  of
hockey and entertainment events. Collabora-
tion and partnerships were essential to Bridge-
port's cleanup and redevelopment efforts
progressing well beyond the assessment and
planning stages  supported by  EPA's  initial
$200,000 investment. Now greeted by a view
of the ballpark, Bridgeport visitors can enjoy
the success of the city's efforts.

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               EPA Brownfields

            Job Training Grants
               have supported

                approximately

                130 graduates

                within Boston.
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Original Pilot Project
Boston,  MA
         3oston, Mass., is New England's eco-
         nomic hub and its largest city. The
         city  has a long industrial  history,
         but many manufacturing industries
         have been phased out of the city in
favor of technology and other businesses. As
a result, parts of Boston have been left littered
with abandoned and vacant properties with
environmental problems.

EPA began to help Boston address these prop-
erties in August 1995 by awarding a $200,000
Brownfields  Demonstration Assessment Pilot.
Since that first award,  Boston has been  the
recipient of more than  $1.2  million in Brown-
fields Assessment Grants, $1 million in Brown-
fields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Grants
and  a  $200,000  Brownfields Cleanup  Grant.
Additionally,  more  than $1.1  million have
been leveraged and approximately 130 brown-
fields job training participants have obtained
employment.

Two  of the most notable projects in Boston
are the restoration of the Belle Isle Coastal Pre-
serve and the redevelopment of contaminat-
ed property at 505 Tremont Street into a mixed-
use residential and commercial building.

Belle Isle Coastal Preserve
A former salt  marsh that had undergone dump-
ing and filling associated with past commer-
cial and industrial uses has been cleaned and
restored, and is available to East Boston resi-
dents as open space for passive recreation.

The city-owned 1.6-acre parcel, an extension
of the  Belle  Isle  Marsh Reservation,  is  the
location of the former Belle  Isle  Fish Com-
pany.  A  $200,000  EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Grant awarded to the Boston Redevelopment
Authority (BRA)  and other city financial assis-
tance were  used  to remove  11,300 tons of
contaminated soil and to restore tidal flow and
native salt marsh vegetation.

The restored  marsh links the  northern and
southern sections of the adjacent state-owned
Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, which preserves
152 acres of Boston's 241-acre last remaining
salt marsh. The reservation  exemplifies  the
type of wetlands that once lined the Massachu-
setts Bay shore. Centuries of flourishing plant
life have made the marsh fertile. Its protected
waters are nurseries for fish and shellfish and
are critical habitat to many salt marsh  plants
and wildlife rare to the metropolitan area.

505 Tremont Street
Successful  partnerships  led  the  redevelop-
ment of an abandoned brownfields industrial
property into an eight-story mixed-use build-
ing with condominiums, retail and restaurant
space, two theaters and parking.

Located in Boston's  South  End,  the 50,000

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square-foot property  had a variety of past
uses including automotive repair and filling
stations, an  Odd  Fellows Hall  and a  hotel
destroyed  by fire in the 1960s. Contaminants
found at the property included volatile organic
compounds, semivolatile organic compounds,
total petroleum  hydrocarbons, mercury, lead
and a localized  pocket of light non-aqueous
phase liquid. The Boston Economic Develop-
ment and Industrial Corporation awarded a
$475,000 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan
Fund loan  to the BRA for cleanup. The devel-
oper  contributed  approximately  $2  million
and the BRA provided an additional $525,000
towards cleanup costs.

Cleanup and construction began in 2002 and
the property was redeveloped into a mixed-use
complex that opened in 2004.  Uses  include
20,000  square feet of  retail  and restaurant
space on the street level, new theaters for use
by the adjacent Boston Center for the Arts and
the Huntington Theater, 103  condominiums
on the upper floors and a below-grade 350-car
parking garage.
Completed redevelopment at

505 Tremont Street in Boston, MA
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                          1996  1997  1
         communities
rf
              Communities
              were selected to receive Showcase
              Community designations following



              national competitions. These communities
              demonstrate successful brownfields
              partnerships, providing national visibility



              for a community's brownfields efforts.

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                             Showcase Communities
           "The Brownfields Show-
           case Community desig-
           nation was important to
            the City of Stamford as
           it encouraged neighbor-
         hood residents to become
          better informed and truly
        participatory in meaningful
        discussions about remedia-
           tion, restoration and the
        future of their community."


              -- Sandra L. Dennies
          Grants and Governmental
               Relations Director
                    Stamford, CT
Brownfields Showcase Communities are models that
demonstrate the benefits of focused, coordinated
attention on brownfields.
       Showcase  Communities  have three
       main goals: to promote environmen-
       tal protection, economic redevelop-
       ment  and community revitalization
       through the assessment, cleanup and
sustainable reuse of brownfields; to link fed-
eral, state, local and non-governmental action
supporting community efforts to restore and
reuse brownfields; and to develop national
models demonstrating the positive results of
public and private collaboration addressing
brownfields challenges.

Communities were selected to receive Show-
case  Community  designations  following
national competitions in 1998 and 2000. EPA
provided each Showcase Community with a
$200,000 Assessment Pilot and assigned an
EPA employee to work fulltime in the designat-
ed community for two years. For New Bedford,
Mass., the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmo-
spheric Administration provided the employee
for the community.
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                                  Showcase Community
                                  Lowell,  MA
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  The Ayer Lofts site had

    many unusual former
  uses including: a gram-

     mar school; offices;

a cosmetic manufacturer;

  a steam and gas works

   operation; a reed and

  harness manufacturer;
      a commercial print-

      ing establishment;

       a brass foundry; a

  plumbing business and

    a furniture company.
             One  of  New  England's five
             Showcase   Communities  is
             Lowell,  Mass.  Some of the
             city's most successful redevel-
             opment efforts  include the
Paul  Tsongas Arena,  the LeLacheur Park and
the Ayer Lofts.

Paul Tsongas Arena
A former industrial property has been cleaned
up and  redeveloped into the Paul Tsongas
Arena.

This site, which contained contaminants such
as chlorinated  solvents, polyaromatic  hydro-
carbons,  asbestos and heavy metals since
the 1800s, now hosts the Paul Tsongas Arena.
The city of Lowell utilized a portion of the EPA
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot
Grant to identify the  extent of contamination
on the site.

The 7,800-seat arena, named after U.S. Sena-
tor Paul Tsongas, opened in 1998. Professional
and college hockey  games,  concerts,  family
shows, sporting events, trade shows and con-
ferences are held in the  arena  throughout
the year. The arena  also maintains park-like
grounds with a 3,500 person  capacity for out-
door concerts, festivals and special events.
In addition, continuing efforts resulted in a
wrap-around walk called Riverwalk.
LeLacheur Park
A  former junkyard and  ash dump  site  in
Lowell has been cleaned up and redeveloped
into the 4,710-seat LeLacheur Park stadium.

Lowell used part of the EPA Brownfields Assess-
ment Demonstration Pilot Grant to identify the
extent of contamination on the site. The rede-
velopment of the site was achieved through
collaboration among local, state and federal
government  agencies. The stadium opened
in  1998 and  is now home to a  local football
team and  the  Lowell  Spinners,  the Red  Sox
minor  league  baseball team.  The ballpark
was named after retired State Representative
Edward A. LeLacheur.

Ayer Lofts
Two  adjacent former commercial and indus-
trial sites in  Lowell have been transformed
into loft-style artist units, a cafe and a gallery,
which have significantly increased  the city's
tax revenue.

In  1996, the city of Lowell  used part of its
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot
to conduct a Phase I environmental site assess-
ment (ESA) at two adjacent brownfields sites.
The two sites served as a variety of commer-
cial and industrial establishments between the
1840s and  1995. The city obtained ownership
of both properties in tax title proceedings.

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The  11,655-square foot  property with  two
large  brick buildings had been  abandoned
for extended periods of time. The results of
the ESA showed  that limited environmental
cleanup  was  needed,  including removing
friable asbestos-containing building materials,
four  storage  drums containing oil  lubricant
and carbon tetrachloride, and vermin  and scat
from the sites.
and gallery. The project increased the city's tax
revenue by $300,000-$400,000 per year as a
result of the redevelopment, which is valued
at $9  million. The lofts, retail businesses  and
gallery have been in use since 2000.
The Paul Tsongas Arena

in Lowell, MA
A Boston firm invested in the development of
Ayer Lofts, a complex that includes 49 loft-style
artist units, as well as a 3,100-square foot cafe
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                                            Showcase Community
                                            Stamford, CT
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               EPA Brownfields

                  assistance in
                 Stamford has

              helped leverage

              seven to 10 new

              jobs for commu-

                nity residents.
        he city of Stamford, Conn., is  one
        of  New  England's  five Showcase
        Communities, and one of its  most
        successful redevelopment projects
        is the  Harley Davidson/Buell Dealer-
ship of Stamford.

Two former abandoned properties that were
contaminated  by previous   industrial  uses,
including plastics manufacturing and foundry
operations, have been cleaned  up and rede-
veloped into the Harley Davidson/Buell Deal-
ership of Stamford.

Located in the  South  End neighborhood, the
Pacific Street properties were the former loca-
tion of two dilapidated brick buildings, which
housed a variety of  commercial operations
since the late 1890s. The Blues  Brothers, LLC,
purchased the  properties and three contigu-
ous abandoned lots with the goal of building
a motorcycle shop, maintenance facility and
parking lot.

A total  of $160,000 was  borrowed from Stam-
ford's Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund
(BCRLF)  in 1999 to assist with cleanup costs.
This $1.5 million redevelopment project was the
third project in the nation to receive BCRLF assis-
tance.
hydrocarbons, polychlorinated  biphenyls and
arsenic were removed by October 1999. The
site was cleaned to residential standards to
maximize future use options, and one of the
existing brick buildings was renovated for use
as a motorcycle showroom and office.

In late 2000, the community celebrated the
grand opening of the dealership in Stamford.
The project leveraged seven to 10 newjobs for
community residents and demonstrated the
effective use  of strong partnerships formed
between local, state and federal entities.

Stamford's brownfields redevelopment oppor-
tunities continue,  bolstered in  part by the
2005 award of two additional EPA Brownfields
Cleanup Grants totaling  $225,000 for down-
town properties on Dock Street and Manhat-
tan Street.
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                                            Approximately 3,000 tons of soil contaminated
                                            with chromium, lead,  cadmium,  petroleum

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Stamford,  CT
1998
Recognized as an EPA
Brownfields Show-
case Community
1998
Awarded a $200,000
Assessment Pilot
Grant
1999
Awarded a $500,000
Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund
1999
Recognized as
making the third
EPA brownfields
revolving loan
in the nation
2005
Awarded
$225,500 in
Brownfields
Cleanup Grants
                                                                                                 Harley
                                                                                                 Davidson
                                                                                                 dealership,
                                                                                                 Stamford, CT
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                                  Showcase Community
                                  New  Bedford,  MA
                                                                                       Interior view of new greenhouses,

                                                                                     Sid Wainer & Son, New Bedford, MA
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 New Bedford's fish

processing industry

  will receive a pro-

 jected addition of

150 jobs and nearly
$100 million dollars

after completion of

 the South Terminal

   Maine Industrial

       Park project.
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            New Bedford, Mass., is one of New
            England's five Showcase Commu-
            nities. Two of its most successful
            redevelopment efforts  include
         v  the South Terminal Marine Indus-
trial Park, a former textile  mill  that has  been
redeveloped into a new seafood industrial cen-
ter, and the Sid Wainer & Son Co. Greenhouse,
a commercial greenhouse that flourishes in the
center of an inner-city neighborhood.

South Terminal Marine Industrial Park
The well-known 25.5-acre Standard Times Field is
adjacent to the Acushnet River in New Bedford
and was  previously occupied by a textile mill
from the 1880s until the 1930s. After mill opera-
tions ceased, the buildings were demolished by
1935 and the site remained vacant for more than
60 years.

Due  to the site's proximity  to  New Bedford's
South Terminal, an area with many fish process-
ing facilities,  it was considered  prime industrial
land. The New  Bedford City Council voted to
extend the Working Waterfront Overlay District to
include the site and encouraged development
to accommodate expansion of the seafood pro-
cessing industry in the city.

In 1998,  the  New  Bedford Redevelopment
Authority acquired the site from a bank that had
foreclosed on the prior owner and targeted it for
redevelopment as a 10-lot industrial subdivision.
City officials hoped to assess  the  property to
provide environmental information  to prospec-
tive buyers.

EPA conducted a Targeted Brownfields Assess-
ment (TBA) of the entire site in 1999 that revealed
some localized  contamination. This  included
the presence of a large  underground storage
tank and surrounding soils contaminated with
petroleum hydrocarbons, a layer of coal one
to two feet below the soil surface and  some
asbestos from building debris.  Soil  throughout
the site  contained hydrocarbons, polyaromatic
hydrocarbons, pesticides, polychlorinated biphe-
nyls (PCBs) and metals. Additionally,  elevated
levels of PCBs were found in the groundwater on
one lot and heavy metals on a few lots.

Following the TBA, the city used additional  EPA
Brownfields Assessment Pilot Grant funds to con-
duct Phase II assessments of the separate lots,
making the properties more marketable. The city
and the New Bedford Redevelopment Authority
aggressively marketed the parcels at the site and
by 2004, half of the 10 lots had new construction,
with four of those facilities completed and sold
at an average cost of $125,000 per acre.

With about $5 million in investment by the city
and from the Public Works Economic  Develop-
ment  Program and the Community  Develop-
ment Action Grant Program, $10 million  in pri-
vate investment have been leveraged, adding 60

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newjobs and nearly $1 million to the tax rolls. It is
projected that after development is completed,
there will be an additional 150 jobs and nearly
$100 million dollars added to the fish processing
industry in New Bedford.

Sid Wainer & Son Co. Greenhouse
The Sid Wainer & Son Co. Greenhouse sits
on property that was once part of the former
Taber Mill  textile manufacturing complex. The
site also housed a manufacturer of cardboard
boxes and paper products, Alden  Corrugated,
which operated from 1947 until 1991. In  1995,
the building was destroyed by fire and was sub-
sequently  demolished. Significant quantities
of unprocessed demolition debris  remained
in  the basement of  the former building, and
four abandoned underground storage tanks
containing petroleum product remained on the
south portion of the site.

The  EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment
program assisted the City of New Bedford in
conducting an environmental assessment on
the property. Based upon initial results, New
Bedford received  additional funding  to do
a second  assessment. These environmental
assessment  activities revealed  that the soil,
commingled with unprocessed construction
and demolition debris, was contaminated with
lead and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.

In  2003,  the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection funded the removal
of underground storage tanks from the south
lot. The city excavated approximately 30,000
cubic yards and backfilled with  clean fill, at a
cost of $500,000. To facilitate redevelopment,
the city subdivided the entire site into three
lots: the northern lot (.42 acres) was sold to an
abutting business to promote expansion,  and
the center lot (2.8 acres) and southern lot (.65
acres) were retained by the city.

The center site was sold to and redeveloped
by Sid Wainer & Son Co., a company  that
originated in  New Bedford in 1914 and is still
headquartered there today. The company is
a wholesaler, importer,  exporter,  distributor
and grower of specialty produce and gourmet
foods. The  3,000  square-foot  greenhouses
enable experimentation with  both  year-round
greenhouse operation and inner-city farming.
A variety of vegetables are grown in the green-
houses, including heirlooms and other variet-
ies not typically grown in the northeast.

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                                    Showcase Community
                                    Mystic Valley Development Commission, MA
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     EPA has awarded

     the Mystic Valley
   Development Com-

mission approximately

 $2.7 million in grants

    to redevelop over

200 acres of underuti-

   lized riverfront land
   in Maiden, Medford

    and Everett, Mass.
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       The  Mystic Valley Development Com-
       mission  (MVDC),  was  formed  to
       redevelop sites in  parts of Maiden,
       Medford and  Everett, Mass.,  along
       the Maiden River.  The Commission
was  designated  as  one of New  England's
five Brownfields Showcase Communities. The
Maiden River has been regarded locally as an
industrial  river due to its historic use by fac-
tories along its banks to transport goods and
materials and, often, to dump waste.

The legacy of that era remains in the river's pol-
luted sediments, which are contaminated with
oil, organic material, coal tars and polyaromat-
ic hydrocarbons. The goal of the River's Edge
project is  to change this image by redevelop-
ing  more than 200 acres of underutilized riv-
erfront land in Medford, Maiden and Everett.
Officials from these three cities have teamed
up to transform  the former industrial land  on
both sides of the river into a mixed-use devel-
opment. The project will include development
of the Maiden River Park, and development in
Everett and Maiden. Work began with property
acquisition and infrastructure improvements.

Until early 2004, River's Edge was known as
TeleCom  City, which reflected the  cities' goal
of focusing  development on telecommunica-
tions. When the telecommunications industry
began to  decline, the MVDC shifted its focus
to making the river a recreational resource.
For the River's Edge project, EPA has awarded
the MVDC approximately $2.7 million in grants,
including $1.25 million in  assessment  grants
and $1.48 million in cleanup grants. Portions
of those funds were  utilized to prepare the
waterfront sites for redevelopment.

Tufts U niversity recently i nvested approxi mately
$3 million for the construction of a boathouse
for the  university  crew  teams on a 7.5-acre
section  of  the planned Maiden  River Park
that will eventually extend  for a mile and half
on both sides of the  river. The 9,000 square-
foot  boathouse is the  first in  the school's
history and includes boat bays, storage racks, a
viewing deck and training and locker rooms.

The new two-story,   wood  and  brick  boat-
house is a  centerpiece  of the revival of the
Maiden River and  is also a valuable commu-
nity resource, as the  top floor will  be made
available for community meetings.  Tufts also
plans  to work with  the three cities to develop
local rowing programs and high-school crew
teams.

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                                                 Boat House for the Tufts University
                                                 crew team and community use in
                                                 Medford, MA
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                                                                                        Save The Bay Center foyer overlooking
                                                                                                          Narragansett Bay, Rl
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                                      Showcase Community
                                      Providence, Rl
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As an EPA Brownfields
Showcase Community,

the City of Providence

 has successfully rede-

veloped contaminated
   Olneyville neighbor-

  hood  properties into

      urgently-needed

   affordable housing.
CD
         Drovidence, R.I., is  one of New Eng-
         land's  five designated  Brownfields
         Showcase Communities. Through this
         designation,  the city of Providence
         has  successfully  redeveloped  con-
taminated properties into  housing,  including
many much-needed affordable housing  units
at the Riverside Gateway Development in the
Olneyville neighborhood. Another noteworthy
redevelopment project is the Save The Bay Cen-
ter, an environmental education center housed
in a 17,600-square-foot  new environmentally-
friendly building that was built on a remediated
former landfill site.

Riverside Gateway Development
Three lots with a long history of industrial use in
Olneyville have been transformed into urgently-
needed affordable housing.

Located   along  the  Woonasquatucket  River,
Olneyville is one of the most economically dis-
tressed neighborhoods in Providence. Housing
prices in  Providence have skyrocketed in the
past several years, causing a need for affordable
housing.  Using  $80,000 of an  EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant, the city hired a contractor to
investigate three city-owned  parcels designated
for housing. The sites were chosen for their stra-
tegic location adjacent to the Riverside  Mills, a
brownfield that  is being  cleaned up and trans-
formed into Riverside Park.
Environmental assessments of the three Olneyville
lots in 2004 revealed a 10,000-gallon underground
fuel storage tank and contamination from met-
als, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and  petroleum.
A Brownfields Assessment Grant enabled the city
and the Olneyville Housing Corporation to lever-
age $200,000 in environmental cleanup funding
and nearly $4,000,000 in grants and low-interest
loans for affordable housing development.

The three lots are part of the Riverside Gateway
Development,  which created  32 new afford-
able  housing  apartments in two  renovated
and 13 new buildings. The goal of the develop-
ment  initiative is  to  ultimately bring commu-
nity-controlled investment to the area. The large
vacant parcels of land that line the Riverside Mills
site have been converted into new two- and
three-unit houses.  Several vacant,  abandoned
and underutilized two- and three-family proper-
ties near Manton Avenue have also been rehabili-
tated into two-, three- and four-bedroom units as
part of the project.

Save The Bay Center
Once a true island, the Sunshine  Island site pro-
vides access to the bay for the people of South
Providence. In the  1950s the  site was used as
a municipal dump and was paved over to  be
a drive-in theater. An EPA Targeted Brownfields
Assessment  Grant was  awarded  in 2000  to
address contamination concerns at the  Field's
Point/Sunshine Island site.

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The  primary  contaminant  of  concern discov-
ered was methane, a product of historical land-
fill operations at the site. Ash and construction
and demolition debris were also discovered, and
elevated levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons,
semi-volatile organic compounds, pesticides and
metals were present.

The TBA Program also assisted Save the Bay in pre-
paring their Remedial Action Work Plan and Engi-
neering  Evaluation/Cost Analysis for  the Brown-
fields Cleanup  Revolving  Loan Fund   (BCRLF)
Program. The Save the Bay organization signed an
agreement to borrow $700,000 from Rhode Island
Economic Development Corporation's BCRLF to
clean up the site so that it could be turned into
an ecological education center. The remediation
included construction of a stone slope protection,
a venting  system  for methane release beneath
the building foundation and an engineered cap.

The  culmination  of the  redevelopment  was
the  construction  of  the  state-of-the-art Save
The  Bay Center. The  main feature of the  six-
acre site is the 17,600-square-foot,  environmen-
tally-responsible "green"  building  that houses
educational classrooms, exhibition space and the
new headquarters for the Save the Bay organiza-
tion. Also featured are a dock and shore-side facili-
ties to support Save the Bay's boat fleet, including
the 45-foot dedicated education vessel, the M/V
Alletta Morris; picnic areas; parking/transportation
infrastructure; and habitat restoration demonstra-
tion projects. Interpretive walking trails run along a
portion of the shoreline, and a walking path takes
visitors through the salt marsh. For the  engineer-
ing-minded, there is a demonstration stormwater
runoff management system. The Save the  Bay
project received the 2005 Phoenix Award for excel-
lence in brownfields redevelopment.

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 environmental
justice
                                    19992

       EPA is committed
       to ensuring environmental justice for all
       people, regardless of race, color, national
       origin or income.

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OOQ


            "It's important to us as

            municipal officials that

              everyone has access

            to the benefits of rede-

            velopment. Cleanup of
          contaminated properties

            will provide jobs, hous-

          ing and services to parts

          of the community where

           they are most needed."


               -- Elaine Middleton
             former Senior Planner
                  Somerville, MA
Brownfields & Environmental Justice
          In the early 1990s, stakeholders expressed  their concerns  to
          EPA about the problems associated with brownfields across the
          country. More than 600,000 properties that were once industrial,
          manufacturing or commercial facilities were lying abandoned or
          underutilized due to the suspicion  of contamination.
                  3rownfield areas, particularly those
                  in city centers, were contributing to
                  blight and joblessness in surround-
                  ing communities.  Unknown envi-
                  ronmental liabilities were  prevent-
          ing communities,  developers and investors
          from restoring these properties to productive
          use and revitalizing impacted neighborhoods.

          In 1994,  EPA responded  to the brownfields
          problem  with  an  environmental  protection
          approach  that  is locally  based, encourages
          strong public-private partnerships and  pro-
          motes innovative and creative ways to assess,
          clean  up and  redevelop brownfields.  This
          approach  empowers state, tribal and local
          environmental  and economic  development
          officials to oversee brownfields  activities, and
          encourages the implementation of local solu-
          tions to local problems. EPA also has provided
          funding  to  create local  environmental job
training programs to ensure that the economic
benefits derived from brownfields revitaliza-
tion efforts remain in local neighborhoods.

EPA maintains an ongoing  commitment to
ensure environmental justice for all people,
regardless  of race, color, national origin or
income. In recognizing that minority and/or
low-income  communities  frequently  may
be exposed  disproportionately to environ-
mental harms and risks, EPA works to protect
these and other burdened communities from
adverse human  health  and environmental
effects of its programs, consistent with existing
environmental and civil rights laws and their
implementing regulations, as well as Execu-
tive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations
and Low-Income Populations" (Feb. 11, 1994).
Ensuring environmental  justice means not
only protecting human health  and the envi-
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ronment for everyone, but also ensuring that
all people are treated fairly and are given the
opportunity to participate meaningfully in the
decision-making about their environment.

Environmental Justice
Focus in Providence
Providence is the capital and largest city in the
state of Rhode Island, and is one of the most
environmentally  stressed cities  in  the  New
England region. Providence  has  a large  num-
ber of brownfields sites because of the city's
long industrial history.  Providence has ben-
efited from EPA's brownfields funding and,  in
turn, has used the funding to benefit the most
economically distressed  sections of the city.
To date the city has received over $2.5 million
in Brownfields funding from EPA. Community
groups have been actively involved in dialogue
with EPA and the  city of Providence on reuse
of  brownfields sites,  particularly along the
Woonasquatucket River  corridor. Community
notification and community involvement are
integral  criteria that are built into the Brown-
fields Program. As  a  Brownfields  Showcase
Community,  the city of Providence  employed
the Providence Plan group to conduct commu-
nity outreach for brownfields activities.
fields. Much-needed affordable housing was
developed  in  Olneyville. Some brownfields
sites like Save the Bay  and Meeting  Street
were transformed  into educational  centers.
And still other brownfields  sites  are  being
redeveloped in order to provide needed com-
munity services,  like the Federated Lithogra-
phers site that will be turned into a neighbor-
hood health care center and the YMCA site
that will provide recreational opportunities for
local children and adults. The city continues
to work with the various neighborhood com-
munity  groups and local,  state and federal
entities  to identify and revitalize  sites  nega-
tively impacted by environmental issues. Resi-
dents in these impacted areas should con-
tinue to see and experience improvements in
their neighborhoods.
0)
01
Brownfields  like the  Lincoln Lace  & Braid,
Trust for Public  Land and Johnson and Wales
University  sites in Providence  were turned
into  park  land, public  space  and  athletic

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10  Years of  Brownfields  Progress  in  Providence,  Rl
1      1

 Trust for Public Land  "^Pf *L°usTg Devel°Pment
 _                 Affordable Housing
 Greenspace
          A
                      A,
            A         - Riverside Mills Park
  Lincoln Lace and Braid    Greenspace
  Greenspace
     Loutitt Laundry
     Undeveloped
                                               Westfield Lofts
                                               Housing
                                             A
                                     Rl
     Former Federated Lithographers
     Healthcare Center
                A

                                              •_ i*»V--JTl.
                                              Recreation C


                       %">"•   1
             Meeting Street
       '      2 Special Needs Schools
YMCA
Recreation Center
             Johnson and Wales University


             University Facilities, Housing, and Greenspace
                                                                 Save the Bay
                                                                 Environmental Education Cei


                                         :n*^


                                           )
                                                                                                      Map Scale =1:35,000
        Legend

 A  Successful Brownfields Sites
     Roads
     Streams

     Major Waterbody

L . .' Town Boundary

Environmental Justice Potential
Areas of Concern
     Low Income

     Minority
     Both (Low Income and Minority)

     Neither
     Unpopulated
                                                                                                    Town of Providence

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994 1995  1996 1997  1
 successes
    By combining
    removal of blight, revitalization of
    community life and preservation of
    existing green space, success has
    been achieved in rural areas.

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OOQ


                "The Brownfields
           Program is the catalyst
           for the revitalization of
           rural areas. Without this
          program, large and small
            former industrial sites
             would still be blights
            and sores in our com-
           munities. With this pro-
             gram these sites are
           becoming new centers
             of economic vitality."


                 -- Jim Q.  Gulnac
                Planning Director
                   Sanford, ME
                             Rural  Successes
The New England region has many large and medium-sized
cities, all of which have many brownfields properties. These cities
have consistently received funding from EPA to assist in brown-
fields cleanup  and redevelopment. However,  during  the  last
eight years, the region has also tackled the problem of brown-
fields in rural areas.
      hese brownfields sites are frequent-
      ly found downtown, sitting  fallow
      for  years  while small  communi-
      ties  attempt to come to terms with
      the  contamination. The region  has
worked with  and encouraged the local region-
al planning commissions (RPCs) and councils
of government (COGs) to access EPA funding.
These RPCs and COGs have the capacity to uti-
lize the funding successfully, identifying and
targeting numerous sites for assessment. In
turn, they have helped to revitalize community
life, remove blight and preserve green space.
The following stories exemplify how success-
ful the RPCs,  COGs and small municipalities
have been in brownfields redevelopment.
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        Program:

  EPA Brownfields

Assessment Grant
Rural Successes
Waypoint Visitors Center
Bellows  Falls, VT
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                               Grantee:

                      Windham Regional
                            Commission
A                               former rail yard was transformed
                               into the Waypoint Visitors Center
                               along the Connecticut River Byway,
                               incorporating in its design an echo
                               of a steel arch bridge from the
                     past. Bellows Falls, Vt., was home to the first
                     canal company charted in the country and the
                     site of the first bridge across the Connecticut
                     River. The Bellows Falls canal provided power
                     to mills and allowed lumber and  barges to
                     bypass the gorge by a series of nine locks. At
                     the time of its construction in 1906, the Arch
                     Bridge  was the longest suspension bridge in
                     North America. Eventually railroads and  mod-
                     ern utilities replaced waterways as the primary
                     modes of electricity generation and transpor-
                     tation, and Bellows Falls went through a period
                     without growth or major change.
                                          assessment  and  monitoring.  Site  monitor-
                                          ing found  that levels  of  tetrachloroethene
                                          in ground water exceeded Vermont ground
                                          water enforcement standards. This prompted
                                          the state to  request a year of ground water
                                          monitoring and sampling of water conditions.
                                          Following the monitoring, results showed that
                                          no further action was required.

                                          The Waypoint Visitors  Center  now provides
                                          tourists  a window to the past and a central
                                          point to explore part of the Connecticut River
                                          Valley. A 145-foot  replica of the  Arch Bridge
                                          was  incorporated  into  the new  building
                                          design.  The  center is open to the public and
                                          also houses  the Great Falls Regional Chamber
                                          of Commerce.
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                     In 1999, Bellows Falls was chosen as a "way-
                     point"  community along  a  newly  created
                     Connecticut River Byway. Waypoint communi-
                     ties were identified by New England states as
                     crossroads communities with  amenities such
                     as lodging, restaurants,  recreational activities
                     and tourism sites in the region. A brownfields
                     site in  Bellows Falls across from the railroad
                     station and along the canal was chosen as the
                     location for a visitor and  interpretive center.

                     Using a portion of a $350,000 EPA Brownfields
                     Assessment Grant,  the  Windham  Regional
                     Commission performed  environmental  site

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Scenic Byway Program
Echo of the old Arch Bridge in
Bellows Falls, VT
In  1996, the states of Massachusetts,  New Hampshire and Vermont
received funding from the Federal  Highway Administration's Scenic
Byway Program to study the feasibility of developing a byway along the
Connecticut River. Working with the towns along each side of the river,
the regional commissions inventoried the historic, cultural, scenic, recre-
ational and natural resources of the entire Connecticut River Valley. The
selected "Waypoint" communities were identified as crossroads commu-
nities which offer amenities such as lodging,  restaurants and other activi-
ties and sites in the region.
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Assessment Grant
Rural Successes
Levi Heywood Memorial Library
Gardner, MA
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                              Grantee:

                  Montachusett Regional

                   Planning Commission
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                            Fconomic recession in the 1990s left
                            Gardner, Mass., with  a  deteriorated
                            downtown, numerous  foreclosures
                            and increased relocation of business-
                      •^^ es. The city focused on rebuilding the
                     downtown and sought to open a new public
                     library. In 1998, the Montachusett Regional Plan-
                     ning Commission—a regional advisory board
                     comprised of representatives from 21 member
                     communities-received  a $200,000  Assess-
                     ment Grant to assess brownfields throughout
                     the region. One of the  22 properties assessed
                     was 60 West Lynde Street in  Gardner, Mass.
                     The property was a focus of Gardner's Down-
                     town  Partnership Program, which planned to
                     redevelop the former furniture manufacturing
                     site and turn it into a library.

                     The onsite building was demolished  in 1997
                     and the city purchased the property  the fol-
                     lowing year. In 2001, the city began  a reuse
                     study for  the property.  Elevated  levels of tri-
                     chloroethene were found in soil  borings and
                     ground water well samples, and vinyl chloride
                     was detected in  the ground water. Remedial
                     actions were taken,  including excavation and
                     disposal of contaminated soil. As a result of the
                     assessment, local and state funds were lever-
                     aged  to meet 80 percent of the $7.6 million
                     needed for site cleanup and redevelopment.
                     Construction of the new 32,000 square-foot
                     Gardner Public  Library  and  parking  lot  was
                     completed in 2004.

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Interior of the new library, Gardner, MA
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Assessment Grant

             and

  EPA Brownfields

Cleanup Revolving
  Loan Fund Grant
                               Grantee:
                         City of Lewiston
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Rural Successes
Bates  Mill
Lewiston, ME
        PA funds helped a former Civil War
        textile mill get a new economic life.
        The Bates Mill was an integral part of
        Maine's industrial past, with a history
     • that dates back to the Civil War. The
textile manufacturer helped outfit the legend-
ary Grand Army of the Potomac and was the
largest employer in the state until the early
1960s. Operations stopped in the early 1990s,
leaving  six  acres  and dozens  of buildings
vacant and potentially contaminated.  Lewis-
ton gained ownership of the property and the
Lewiston Mill  Redevelopment  Corporation,
a nonprofit organization, now manages the
property.

Faced with  an  economic  and  environmen-
tal behemoth,  city officials and the commu-
nity wanted to preserve the  existing  historic
structure. At the  same  time, they wanted
to assess and clean generations of site con-
taminants. Through a 1998 EPA  Brownfields
Assessment Grant of  $200,000, an additional
$75,000  in  supplemental  funding in  2000
and a $500,000 Brownfields Cleanup  Revolv-
ing Loan Fund  (BCRLF) Program Grant set up
in 1999,  Lewiston cleaned and renovated the
1.2 million square-foot textile mill. Environmen-
tal assessments revealed levels of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons,   metals  including
lead, polychlorinated  biphenyls (PCBs), vola-
tile organic  compounds, asbestos and petro-
leum products. As a result of its assessment,
EPA conducted an emergency response action
in  1999 that focused on  removing  the  PCB
contamination, asbestos and leaking chemical
drums. Then the city capitalized its BCRLF for
the cleanup of the entire mill.

The multi-use complex now brings millions
of dollars in new business investments to the
economy. New tenants include a bank, a por-
tion of the University of Maine, restaurants,
a telecommunications  company, a photogra-
phy arts center, a packaging company  and
various  nonprofit  organizations.  With  the
EPA funding, the city leveraged  a total  of $41
million from federal, state and local sources,
including $17 million in private investments.
The city's economy was given a boost with the
creation of 1200 new jobs and  an additional
$500,000 in annual tax revenue in private sec-
tor investment.

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Bank facilities at the former Bates Mill

in Lewiston, ME
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  EPA Brownfields

Assessment Grant

             and

  EPA Brownfields
Cleanup Revolving

  Loan Fund Grant
                               Grantee:

                        City of Westbrook
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Rural Successes
Riverwalk
Westbrook, ME
        Several EPA Brownfields  Assessment
        Grants  and a Brownfields  Cleanup
        Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) Grant
        provided  funding  for  Westbrook,
        Maine, to  assess several properties
for environmental contamination, and perform
cleanups, as part of its downtown comprehen-
sive plan and Riverwalk Redevelopment. The
Assessment Grants were for $450,000 in 2000
and $200,000 in 2004, and the BCRLF Grant was
for $1.2 million in 2003. These EPA funds have
led to construction of several office buildings,
commercial businesses, a riverfront boardwalk
with benches and lighting, walking trails, green
spaces with picnic tables and a bike path to
follow the Presumpscot River and connect with
the neighboring Portland bike path system

The two  properties, totaling  1.67 acres, run
along the shore of the  Presumpscot River.
A  Phase II Environmental Site  Assessment
revealed  polychlorinated  biphenyl (PCB) lev-
els  in  three  transformers  on the  property
that  exceeded  the Maine  Department of
Environmental Protection's (ME DEP)  hazard-
ous waste regulations. In the floor drains of
one of the buildings, arsenic, lead, PCBs and
benzo[a]pyrene were determined to be at
concentrations exceeding ME DEP regulations.
The city had pre-established two tax incremen-
tal financing districts for the  construction of
a 135,000 square-foot office building  and
550-space garage to help defray development
                                                                       One Riverfront Plaza Office Building

                                                                         & Parking Garage, Westbrook, ME
costs, which allowed for lower lease prices to
some of the tenants. The city leveraged $1 mil-
lion in federal highway funds and $250,000 in
economic incentives to help defray the $6 mil-
lion cost of the garage construction.

The new facility that opened in 2004 is called
One Riverfront Plaza Office Building & Parking
Garage.

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        Program:

  EPA Brownfields

Assessment Grant
Rural Successes
Railroad Row
Hartford, VT
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                               Grantee:

               Two Rivers— Ottauquechee
                   Regional Commission
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                             he historic, yet dilapidated, Twin State
                             Fruit warehouse property in Hartford,
                             Vt., underwent an economic and envi-
                             ronmental recovery due to a $200,000
                             EPA Brownfields Assessment  Grant
                      awarded  to  the Two   Rivers-Ottauquechee
                      Regional Commission. This abandoned and
                      contaminated 0.7-acre industrial property was
                      made ready for a new commercial developer,
                      promising and delivering new jobs  and eco-
                      nomic growth  to the surrounding downtown
                      neighborhood.  The  original building,  in the
                      heart of Hartford's  Central Business District,
                      was listed in the National Register of Historic
                      Places.  The  building, which stood  near the
                      confluence of  the  White and  Connecticut
                      Rivers, operated as a feed and grain business
                      until 1925 when it was taken over by Twin State
                      Fruits. When the company left  in 1995, the
                      building fell into disrepair.

                      The site assessment uncovered the  presence
                      of  environmental  contamination,   includ-
                      ing three underground  storage tanks, two
                      of  which  still  contained fuel  oil. Additional
                      tanks and surficial contamination were also
                      suspected. A subsequent limited subsurface
                      environmental  assessment was performed
                      that documented several tanks as well  as
                      asbestos,  lead-based paint and the surficial
                      contaminants—lead,  arsenic,  polycyclic aro-
                      matic hydrocarbons  and petroleum  hydrocar-
                      bons—all associated  with the nearby railroad.
                                           Armed with this assessment information, the
                                           new developer cleaned up the site, removing
                                           several tanks and excavating surface soil.

                                           The site was  redeveloped into a new office
                                           building that is nearly fully  leased,  and an
                                           adjacent property on Railroad Row has been
                                           demolished and replaced with a new office
                                           building, completing the  renovation  of what
                                           was almost a back alley into  a vibrant down-
                                           town  space.  This  redevelopment  helped
                                           revitalize the town's important and historic
                                           Central Business District.

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                                   Revitalized downtown Hartford, VT
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   i9f94 1995 1996 1997 1
[ i prof it
 successes
        EPA concentrates
        on providing outreach and technical
        assistance to nonprofit organizations,
        notably for affordable housing
        and community services.

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OOQ


                              Nonprofit Successes
            "The availability of this

          cleanup grant funding to

           non-profit organizations

          has allowed us to provide

         services to the community

          that otherwise we would

          not be able to. The rede-

          velopment of property in

            Norway, Maine, will be

           an important economic

          asset to our community."


                -- Marcy Boughter
          Vice President of Western
              Maine Development
          (part of the Growth Council
                   of Oxford Hills)
EPA New England has recently concentrated on providing outreach
and technical assistance to  nonprofit organizations,  notably for
affordable housing and community services.
       Since the enactment in 2002 of the
       Small Business  Liability Relief and
       Brownfields Revitalization  legisla-
       tion, commonly called the Brown-
       fields Law, nonprofit organizations
can directly apply to EPA for cleanup grants
for brownfields sites. This  has opened up
a new chapter in locally-based community
revitalization. Nonprofit organizations  have
the unique ability to work directly with com-
munity residents to plan and execute benefi-
cial redevelopments in their neighborhoods.
EPA New England has recently concentrated
on providing outreach  and technical assis-
tance to nonprofit organizations, notably for
affordable housing and community services.
Some recent successful projects in Connecti-
cut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island  are
described on the following pages.
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        Program:

  EPA Brownfields

Cleanup Revolving

  Loan Fund Grant
                              Grantee:

                Connecticut Department

                       of Economic and

               Community Development
Nonprofit Successes
Main & Pavilion Shopping Center
Hartford, CT
A                               $160,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup
                               Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) loan
                               to a nonprofit  group allowed for
                               environmental  cleanup  of  a site
                               in Hartford, Conn.,  where a new
                      shopping center was built, including a much-
                      needed neighborhood grocery store.

                      The 2.46-acre  site,  immediately  north  of
                      the center of Hartford, had formerly been
                      occupied  by residential  structures,  a dye
                      works, a gas station, a state arsenal, an auto
                      repair facility and a number of other retail
                      and commercial businesses. A Phase  I Envi-
                      ronmental Assessment of the property was
                      carried out in 1998 and, due to its past uses,
                      further  assessment   was  recommended.
                      A Phase II  Assessment carried out in 2000
                      found  evidence of petroleum contamina-
                      tion in the soil and water.
                                         tons of contaminated soil were removed from
                                         the site. Post-excavation sampling was  clean,
                                         so the site was backfilled and remediation was
                                         finished in 2005.

                                         Construction followed  and, by  fall of 2005,
                                         the  new Main and  Pavilion  Shopping Cen-
                                         ter, otherwise known as the "Metro Center,"
                                         was finished, with 40,000 square-feet of retail
                                         space.  In addition to construction jobs,  the
                                         project created 36 new job opportunities for
                                         low- to moderate-income persons. A total of
                                         $5.2 million in federal, state, local and private
                                         funds went to the cleanup and redevelopment
                                         of the site. The new Metro Center is anchored
                                         by a Save-a-Lot grocery store and also includes
                                         a Family Dollar store, a  laundromat and cloth-
                                         ing and shoe stores.
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                      EPA awarded a BCRLF of $434,171 to the Con-
                      necticut Department of Economic and Com-
                      munity  Development (CT DECD). From that
                      funding, the  CT DECD provided  a  loan  of
                      $160,000 to Public Housing Residents Going
                      Places, Inc., a nonprofit organization, for the
                      project in the Clay Arsenal neighborhood  of
                      Hartford. The nonprofit organization was com-
                      mitted to address the local need for a grocery
                      store. The EPA funds went toward removal  of
                      the contaminated soil. In 2003 and 2004, eight
                      underground  fuel storage tanks  and  2,000

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Grand Opening of Save-a-Lot Grocery Store


in Hartford, CT
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            Programs:

       EPA Brownfields

        Cleanup Grant

                  and

       EPA Brownfields

    Cleanup Revolving

      Loan Fund Grant


             Grantee:

    Weir Economic and

Industrial Revitalization

          Corporation

                  and
        City  of Taunton
Nonprofit Successes
Robertson on the  River
Taunton, MA
         Because of Robertson Mill's planned
         use  as  residential space,  exten-
         sive  assessment  was conducted
         at the site and it was determined
  MMV   that  remedial cleanup action was
required. A subsurface investigation showed
concentrations of  polycyclic  aromatic hydro-
carbons (PAH), lead and C11-C12 aromatics.
Three rail spurs serviced the mill,  and soil
borings  showed that the high PAH  and lead
levels were concentrated in the former rail
bed areas.

Financial help came in the form of a $500,000
EPA grant to the city in 2001, from which the
city supported the Robertson on the River
project through a subgrant for $148,000 and
a loan for $140,000. In addition, EPA granted
$52,000  in cleanup funding directly to the Weir
Economic and  Industrial Revitalization (WEIR)
Corporation. The EPA Cleanup Grant helped
to remediate the  site,  which  included the
excavation of the top three feet of soil  along
these rail spurs and replacement with  clean
fill. The  loan and subgrant paid for asbestos
materials,  underground fuel storage  tanks
and transformers to be removed.
                                                                                           New home for the

                                                                              WEIR Corporation in Taunton, MA
                                                                                      and 18,000 square-feet of commercial  space
                                                                                      for businesses on the first floor. The site is now
                                                                                      home to the WEIR Corporation, which contin-
                                                                                      ues to work on neighborhood improvements.
                                                                                      The site also boasts riverfront green space, a
                                                                                      playground and a basketball court.
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                          The Robertson Mill was cleaned up, restored
                          and renovated to provide affordable housing
                          and commercial space. The Robertson on the
                          River project converted the 6.6-acre mill  site
                          into 64  loft-style affordable residential units

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                                                                                 Meeting Street Center,

                                                                                        Providence, Rl
      Program:      Nonprofit Successes
EPA Brownfieids      Meeting Street National Center of Excellence
 Cleanup Grant      Providence, Rl
                               Grantee:

                          Meeting Street
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                             An   economically  stressed   and
                             contaminated  neighborhood in
                             Providence, R.I., is now home to
                             Meeting Street National Center of
                             Excellence. Meeting Street houses
                   two  special needs schools and  a  neighbor-
                   hood community center. Meeting  Street  is
                   nationally recognized for its exceptional edu-
                   cational,  early  intervention, childhood devel-
                   opment and clinical services. With the devel-
                   opment of the National Center of Excellence,
                   a former residential and commercial site con-
                   taminated with lead,  arsenic and other  haz-
                   ardous substances has been cleaned up and
                   converted into a special needs school for chil-
                   dren and young adults. Services will include
                   education, recreation, mental health services
                   for infants and children, family support, advo-
                   cacy and research. The center will also serve
                   as a resource for families, providing informa-
                   tion on medical issues, treatment options and
                   educational curricula.

                   The  facility, which comprises  1.75  acres of
                   the 7-acre site,  features energy-efficient and
                   environmentally friendly design  and earned
                   the Leadership  in Energy and Environmental
                   Design certification from the U.S.  Green Build-
                   ing Council. Another three acres of the site
                   that have been designated for greenspace will
                   be developed  into an outdoor play area and
                   multiple athletic fields for community use. The
                   facility will serve a less than one square mile
target community in the Lower South area of
Providence. This is a federally-designated Enter-
prise/Empowerment Zone with  many vacant
lots and little recreational space. The services
available on the site are expected to improve
quality of life in this economically distressed
neighborhood in the heart of the city.

The construction of the National Center of
Excellence is anticipated to create 15 newjobs.
The center is expected to serve 1,700 children
and their families on a yearly basis. According
to the October 2003  Economic Impact Assess-
ment conducted by BCOG Planning Associates,
369 jobs will  be generated through pre-devel-
opment real estate  acquisition, construction
and equipment purchase.

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  J.994  1995  1996  1997  1
  lily of
life  improvements
             I
       The  intangible
       benefit
of many brownfields
       redevelopment projects is the quality-of-life


       factor: making available otherwise scarce


       affordable housing, neighborhood


       services, educational opportunities,


       children's activities and public spaces.

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                           Quality of Life Improvements
           "The use of this funding

         to cleanup brownfields for

         projects that result in other

       than economic development

         has been a huge benefit to

         Nashua.  Cleanup funding

           is very difficult to locate

           for projects such as our

         new Senior Center and the

         Center is quite an enhance-

          ment to our community."

              - Deborah Chisholm
           Brownfields Coordinator
                   Nashua, NH
Along with the environmental and economic benefits of many
New England brownfields  redevelopment projects, there  has
also been success in providing housing, services, schools  and
rejuvenated public spaces  that improve the quality of life for
community residents.
      hese kinds of projects have the great-
      est public benefit. A visit to a new
      garden, a school or a park along a
      long-neglected riverway is always an
      inspiring event.
The projects featured on the next few pages
from New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massa-
chusetts are among dozens of success stories
that illustrate the improvement in quality of life
that results from brownfields redevelopment.
EPA New England is proud to be part of these
stories.
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       Programs:
  EPA Brownfields

   Cleanup Grant

             and

  EPA Brownfields

Assessment Grant


        Grantee:
   City of Nashua
Quality of Life Improvements
Senior  Activity Center and Housing Facility
Nashua, NH
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              ajor asbestos assessment and
              cleanup allowed the needed
              expansion of a popular senior
              center  to add service space
              and  housing facilities.  The
Nashua Association for the  Elderly (NAE) has
provided  senior activity services  in  Nashua,
N.H., since 1980. The  Senior Activity Center
opened  its doors in 1983, but as demand
increased, the adequacy of the 10,000 square-
foot building became limited by its size. The
need to expand the senior center, plus a desire
to incorporate a new elderly housing compo-
nent as suggested in  the  city's  Downtown
Master Plan, became joint  goals that drove
change. In 2003, the city began a collaborative
effort with  NAE to identify  opportunities for
expansion, and the city's Board of Aldermen
approved bonding of up to $2.4 million to con-
struct the Senior  Activity Center. Meanwhile,
Southern  New Hampshire Services expressed
interest in providing the elderly housing com-
ponent and successfully pursued U.S. Depart-
ment of  Housing and   Urban  Development
funds for that use.

Located  along Nashua's Heritage Trail  atop
the banks of the Nashua River, the site is com-
prised of two parcels of land, which were for-
merly vacant or used for multi-family housing.
In the past, the property's natural depression
was filled in with building debris and asbes-
tos materials, and then  covered with soil. The
buried  asbestos later became a well-known
problem.

Phase  I and Phase II Environmental Assess-
ments conducted in 2003 confirmed the asbes-
tos, the location and extent  of which were
determined through  an innovative  approach
utilizing a  geophysical survey, electromag-
netic terrain conductivity and low-amplitude,
ground-penetrating radar combined with nor-
mal test pit results. In some areas the asbestos
content of fill material was as high as 70 per-
cent and the thickness of the contamination
was discovered to be as much as 35 feet.

Cleanup activities,  which were funded  by an
EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant, began in June
2005. In a unique move, the city created an
Asbestos Disposal Team comprised of licensed
and  certified asbestos disposal site workers
who performed the removal work at an under-
budget cost.

The 24,000 square-foot senior center was com-
pleted  in the summer of 2006 and features
43 units of housing and a billiards  room,  a
computer room, a library, a craft area, a dance
room and a gym.

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Activity side of senior center

in Nashua, NH
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                                                                  In operation, Urban Oaks Organic Farm

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       Program:

  EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
Quality of Life Improvements
Urban Oaks Organic Farm
New Britain, CT
                              Grantee:

                      City of New Britain
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                               An EPA  Brownfields  Assessment
                               Grant   provided   much-needed
                               funding to the city of New Britain,
                               Conn., so that an organic farm
                               could  be safely constructed  on
                     a formerly contaminated property. After the
                     long-standing New  Britain business, Sand-
                     elli Greenhouses, Inc., closed in 1997, its four
                     properties became  overgrown  and turned
                     into  the  neighborhood  dumping ground.
                     Also in 1997, New Britain received a $200,000
                     Assessment Grant to conduct environmental
                     site assessments on city brownfields.

                     The city conducted Phase I and Phase II Site
                     Assessments on the former Sandelli proper-
                     ties.  The assessments concluded  that the
                     properties  required  environmental  reme-
                     diation on one parcel and debris cleanup on
                     all parcels. The  assessment  also  revealed
                     greenhouse-related  debris,  including glass,
                     metal and plastic pieces, ceramic pots, metal
                     piping, bottles, cans, discarded automotive
                     parts, old tires, an abandoned car, metal scaf-
                     folding, roofing material,  asphalt,  concrete
                     and  bricks. Large soil  piles  and 55-gallon
                     drums also littered the site. Residents helped
                     clear the Sandelli site of non-hazardous debris
                     and the remaining  cleanup was conducted
                     by specialized asbestos and demolition con-
                     tractors.
                                         One of the former Sandelli  properties  has
                                         been  redeveloped  into  the Urban  Oaks
                                         Organic Farm. The nonprofit farm provides
                                         education for residents  and  school  groups
                                         in organic  gardening  methods,  sustainable
                                         agriculture, composting,  natural pest control
                                         and non-toxic and otherwise environmentally
                                         friendly farming techniques.  The establish-
                                         ment of the organic farm has helped enhance
                                         the  urban  environment  by  demonstrating
                                         environmentally responsible farming  and by
                                         providing greenspace in a dense urban area.
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         Program:

   EPA Brownfields

Assessment Grants
Quality of Life Improvements
Head Start Facilities
Somerville and Springfield, MA
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                               Grantee:

                       City of Somerville

                                    and

                       City of Springfield
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                           n Massachusetts, two Head Start facilities
                           were opened recently in Somerville and
                           Springfield on former brownfields sites.
                           Both  of the sites exemplify the reuse of
                           small acre properties within urban cores.
                      Both of these projects resulted in new employ-
                      ment opportunities,  additional  educational
                      opportunities for neighborhood children and
                      increased tax bases.

                      Somerville
                      March 2005 marked a new beginning for the
                      Community  Action Agency  of  Somerville's
                      (CAAS) Head Start Program. After looking for a
                      home that would bring together its children's
                      educational programs that  have been histori-
                      cally scattered throughout Somerville, its quest
                      for a new, central location to house its pro-
                      grams has finally come to fruition.

                      Creativity  and  perseverance  paid  off  when
                      CAAS spotted three vacant lots on Allen Street,
                      a cluster of brownfields located in the densest
                      neighborhood  of Somerville.  Using a portion
                      of an EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant for
                      $350,000 that was awarded to the city in 1996,
                      CAAS and the city worked together to assess
                      all three sites  for contamination. This work
                      revealed that the soil and water was contami-
                      nated with polychlorinated biphenyls, volatile
                      organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydro-
                      carbons, antimony, arsenic, lead and nickel.
                                           Funding  for the cleanup  and building came
                                           from  multiple  private  and  public  donors.
                                           In March of 2005, the  facility opened eight
                                           classrooms that serve a total of 126 children.
                                           By cleaning up these blighted properties and
                                           opening  this educational facility, the city  of
                                           Somerville and CAAS restored pride in the
                                           neighborhood, improved the tax base for the
                                           city and  provided a valuable  resource for the
                                           children of low-income families.

                                           Springfield
                                           The former Carew Street School, located at  65
                                           Carew Street, in Springfield, Mass., had been
                                           constructed in 1894. After years of neglect, the
                                           city demolished the building in 1999. Due to
                                           the historical uses of adjoining parcels, which
                                           included an electrical substation,  there was
                                           great concern that the property was contami-
                                           nated. Utilizing a portion of a $200,000 EPA
                                           Brownfields Assessment  Grant  provided  in
                                           1998, the city conducted  an environmental
                                           assessment of the property. The Phase II Envi-
                                           ronmental Assessment was completed in 2000
                                           and indicated that no contamination was pres-
                                           ent on the school site.

                                           City officials and neighborhood residents par-
                                           ticipated  in the selection of a developer and
                                           the final redevelopment  proposal. The new
                                           facility consists  of a  one-story, 9,000 square
                                           foot building that was built to accommodate

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the Head Start Program. The building opened
in the fall of 2003 servicing the needs of 190
children. Thirty-five staff and other employees
work at this location. The redevelopment of
this property leveraged over $1.5 million.

The redevelopment of this property is espe-
cially important to this community because
of the improvement in the appearance of the
neighborhood, the additional jobs and the
increase to the tax base for the city.
                                                                                      Kids at the sand table at the Head Start

                                                                                      in Somerville, MA
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  j994 1995 1996 1997  1
  train  ng
overview

            "?""•»••
            JIIIE
       More than 2,700
       participants—approximately 600 in
       New England alone—have already been
       trained through EPA's Brownfields Job
       Training Programs, with graduates
       earning an average of $13.°° per hour.

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OOQ


                                Job Training  Overview
           "EPA is very smart to fund

              job-training programs

              because this is where

                   residents benefit

                directly from brown-

              fields redevelopment.

                 Job training equips

                residents to play the

             active  role they need to

            play in the decisions that

                 shape the future of

                their communities."

                     -- Gary Kaplan
                 Executive Director
                      JFYNetWorks
EPA  New England's Brownfields  Job  Training  courses comple-
ment the overall goals of the Brownfields Program by facilitating
cleanup of brownfields, while preparing individuals for long-term
environmental careers.
       he primary goal  of the Brownfields
       Job Training Program is to recruit, train
       and place residents from brownfields-
       impacted  communities in careers
       in the environmental field, which in
turn promotes the assessment, remediation
or preparation of brownfields sites for redevel-
opment.

EPA, other federal agencies, local job train-
ing organizations, community colleges, labor
groups and others  have established  part-
nerships to foster  workforce development
through  environmental training, ensure the
recruitment of trainees from socio-economi-
cally  disadvantaged communities,  provide
quality worker-training  and  allow local resi-
dents an opportunity to qualify forjobs devel-
oped as a result of brownfields efforts.

EPA's Brownfields Job Training Grants  bring
together a variety of stakeholders to provide
environmental employment and training for
residents in communities impacted by brown-
fields. EPA Brownfields Job  Training Grants
are typically awarded to entities within urban,
low-income and high-minority areas; the train-
ing programs funded by these grants not only
recruit residents of communities affected  by
brownfields, but those  in public assistance
programs  (including Welfare-to-Work),  under
or unemployed residents, single mothers and
veterans.

Eligible entities for Job Training Grants across
all EPA regions include colleges, universities,
regional Workforce Investment Boards, com-
munity job training  organizations, nonprofit
training centers, states, counties,  municipali-
ties, federally recognized Indian tribes (except
Alaskan Tribes)  and U.S. Territories. Various
trainee recruitment strategies  are used, includ-
ing working  with community and  city organi-
zations, college and high school alumni, exist-
ingjob training and placement programs, local
Welfare-to-work  Programs and  the  media.
                                                                                                                           Id
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Grant recipients also conduct house-to-house
visits, community meetings and  forums and
open enrollment sessions to get the word out
to potential trainees.

The job training programs  enabled through
EPA grants improve the lives of residents from
often socio-economically disadvantaged com-
munities, offering them life skills instruction
and  employment  opportunities  that  would
otherwise have been out of reach. Within New
England, Brownfields Job Training courses have
educated trainees in subjects including environ-
mental science, chemistry, math and business
writing. Graduates have gone  on to work  at
prestigious  institutions such  as  the Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology  and as Field Tech-
nicians and Hazardous Waste Operations and
Emergency Response  Safety  Inspectors. Still
others have been deployed to New Orleans to
assist with hurricane cleanup efforts.

Additionally, some Job Training Grant recipi-
ents used the funding to offer supervisor-level
training in lead and asbestos abatement and
certifications in  Advanced Hazardous Waste
Transport and Advanced Brownfields Redevel-
opment. And some  New England cities offer
tax incentives for employers that hire graduates
of Brownfields Job Training Programs-such as
the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which allows
an employer to  deduct as much as $2,400 for
each qualifying employee.

More than 2,700  participants-approximately
600  in  New England  alone—have already
been trained through EPA's  Brownfields Job
Training Program,  with graduates earning an
average of $13.00 per hour  in New England.
Through environmental job training and life
skills instruction, the  lives of local residents are
transformed as dramatically as the brownfields
that had affected their communities.

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New England Job Training
Grantees through  2006
Class field trip and job training
graduation in Boston, MA
City of Bridgeport, CT
City of Brockton, MA
Coalition for a Better Acre
 (serving residents from "The Acre" in Lowell, MA)
Groundwork Providence
 (serving residents from Providence and Pawtucket, Rl
JFY Networks, Inc.
 (serving residents from Boston, Chelsea, Somerville, Lynn and Maiden, MA)
City of Lewiston, ME
Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board
 (serving residents in Lawrence, MA)
Middlesex Community College
 (serving residents from Middletown, Meriden, New Britain, Portland,
 Haddam and Wallingford, CT)
City of New Bedford, MA
City of Stamford, CT
The Workplace,  Inc.
 (serving residents from Bridgeport, Naugatuck Valley and Stamford, CT)
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     ,994 1995 1996 1997  1
ontacts  &
 acknowledgements
       EPA New England
       works closely with its grant recipients and
       other stakeholders to provide technical and
       programmatic assistance. Please feel free to
       call us. We also encourage interested parties
       to contact their state Brownfields Coordinators
       for more detailed information on the state
       programs and available funding resources.

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OOQ


                            Contacts & Acknowledgements
                                     EPA New England Brownfields
                                     Program Contacts

                                     Section Chief
                                     Carol Tucker
                                     (617) 918-1221
                                     tucker.carol@epa.gov

                                     Brownfields Coordinator
                                     Diane Kelley
                                     (617) 918-1424
                                     kelley.diane@epa.gov

                                     Communications
                                     Carlie Brandt
                                     (617) 918-1528
                                     brandt.carlie@epa.gov

                                     Cleanup Grants
                                     Targeted Brownfields Assessments
                                     James Byrne
                                     (617) 918-1389
                                     byrnejames@epa.gov

                                     Nonprofit Outreach
                                     Kathleen Castagna
                                     (617) 918-1429
                                     castagna.kathleen@epa.gov
Green Building
Steve Chase
(617) 918-1428
chase.steve@epa.gov

Revolving Loan Fund
Joe Ferrari
(617) 918-1105
ferrarijoe@epa.gov

Special Projects
Marcus Holmes
(617) 918-1630
holmes.marcus@epa.gov

Job Training
Chris Lombard
(617) 918-1305
lombard.chris@epa.gov

Petroleum
Dorrie Paar
(617) 918-1432
paar.dorrie@epa.gov
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CT)
                                           Assessment Grants
                                           Alan Peterson
                                           (617) 918-1022
                                           peterson.alan@epa.gov

                                           Sustainable Development
                                           Meena Jacob
                                           (617) 918-1663
                                           jacob.meena@epa.gov

                                           Data Management
                                           Kimi Sabour
                                           (617) 918-1215
                                           sabour.kimi@epa.gov

                                           Legal Advisor
                                           Rona Gregory
                                           (617) 918-1096
                                           gregory.rona@epa.gov
                                           State Brownfields Programs

                                           Connecticut
                                           Christine Lacas
                                           (860) 424-3766
                                           Christine. lacas@po. state, ct. us
                                           www.dep.state.ct.us
Maine
Nick Hodgkins
(207) 287-4854
nick.hodgkins@maine.gov
www.maine.gov/dep

Massachusetts
Catherine Finneran
(617) 556-1138
catherine.finneran@state.ma.us
www.mass.gov/dep

New Hampshire
Mike Wimsatt
(603) 271-6422
mwimsatt@des. state, nh. us
www.des.state.nh.us

Rhode Island
Kelly Owens
(401)222-2797x7108
kelly.owens@dem.ri.gov
www.dem.ri.gov

Vermont
George Desch
(802) 241-3491
george.desch@state.vt.us
www.anr.state.vt. us/dec

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Acknowledgements

Brownfields Revitalization in New England:
A Look Back, 1994-2006 is published by:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England
1  Congress St..Suite 1100
Boston, MA 02114-2023

Project Coordinators:
Kathleen Castagna, EPA New England
Diane Kelley, Brownfields Coordinator,
 EPA New England

Writers:
Kathleen Castagna, EPA New England
Steve Chase, EPA New England
Joe Ferrari, EPA New England
Diane Kelley, Brownfields Coordinator,
 EPA New England
Davina Wysin, EPA New England

Graphic Designer:
Kim Gorrasi, Vistronix, Inc. for EPA New England

Photograph Credits:
Steve Chase, EPA New England
Joe Ferrari, EPA New England
Various Sources

Special Thanks:
Rachel Olfato, SRA International, Inc.
for EPA New England
Visit
www.epa.gov/ne/
brownfields

for additional stories and
information on how EPA's
Brownfields Program is
rebuilding New England,
community by community.
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Photographs

page 4
photo 1 of 3:
Neglected Riverside Mills, Providence, Rl

photo 2 of 3:
Groundbreaking at Mystic Valley
Development Commission,
Maiden, MA

photo 3 of 3:
Bates Mill, Lewiston, ME
page 16
photo 1  of 3:
Ayer Lofts, Lowell, MA

photo 2  of 3:
Tufts University Boathouse, Medford, MA

photo 3  of 3:
Under construction, Meeting Street Center
of Excellence, Providence, Rl

page 18
LeLacheur Park, Lowell, MA
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page 10
photo 1  of 3:
Bates Mill, Lewiston, ME

photo 2  of 3:
Brownfields Job Training

photo 3  of 3:
Typical cleanup work

page 12
Went Field Park, Bridgeport, CT

page 14
Belle Isle Coastal Preserve, East Boston, MA
CO
CO
page 20
Motorcycle dealership, Stamford, CT

page 22
South Terminal Marine Industrial Park,
New Bedford, MA

page 24
Tufts University crew team in Medford, MA

page 26
New homes in Olneyville, Providence, Rl

page 28
photo 1 of 3:
Riverside Mills, Providence, Rl
CD
CT)

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photo 2 of 3:
Meeting Street Center
under construction, Providence, Rl

photo 3 of 3:
Street mural, Olneyville, Providence, Rl

page 32
photo 1 of 3:
Downtown Hartford, VT

photo 2 of 3:
Bike path, Westbrook, ME

photo 3 of 3:
Canal Street grocery, Bellows Falls, VT

page 34
Waypoint Visitors Center, Bellows Falls, VT

page 36
Levi Heywood Memorial Library, Gardner, MA

page 38
Bates Mill,  Lewiston, ME

page 40
Presumpscot River Walk, Westbrook, ME
page 42
Railroad Row, Hartford, VT

page 44
photo 1 of 3:
Meeting Street, Providence, Rl

photo 2 of 3:
Grocery store, Hartford, CT

photo 3 of 3:
Robertson on the River, Taunton, MA

page 46
Residents shopping

page 48
Opening of Robertson on the River,
Taunton, MA

page 50
Nearly-completed Meeting Street in
Providence, Rl

page 52
photo 1 of 3:
Urban Oaks Organic Farm, New Britain, CT
photo 2 of 3:
Outside the senior center, Nashua, NH

photo 3 of 3:
Head Start, Somerville, MA

page 54
Housing side of senior center in Nashua, NH

page 56
Before cleanup, Urban Oaks Organic Farm
in New Britain,  CT

page 58
CAAS Head Start, Somerville, MA

page 60
photo 1 of 3:
Students practicing dressing out in
personal protective equipment

photo 2 of 3:
Students practicing decontamination
techniques

photo 3 of 3:
Graduation class, JFY Networks
-in Boston, MA
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vvEPA New England

      Proud hosts of the
2006 National Brownfields Conference

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New England Brownfields Grant  Recipients  1994-2006
Addison County Regional Planning Commission
Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments
Attleboro
Bath
Bennington County Regional Commission
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
Berlin
Boston
Boston Connects People to Economic Opportunity, Inc.
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Brewer
Bridgeport
Bridgeport Department of Social Services
Bristol
Brockton
Brunswick
Burlington
Burrillville
Capitol Region Council of Governments
Carver
Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission
Chelsea
Chicopee
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission
Claremont
Central Massachusetts Economic Development Authority
Coalition for a Better Acre
Colrain
Concord
Cranston
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Connecticut Department of Economic and
 Community Development
Danbury
Downtown Revitalization Corporation
Durham
Easthampton
Ellsworth
Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum
Everett
Fitchburg
Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority
Franklin Region Council of Governments
Gardner
Georgetown Redevelopment Corporation
Gloucester
Great Barrington
Greenfield
Greenwich
Griswold
Groundwork Providence
Habitat for Humanity of Southeastern Connecticut
Haddam
Hartford
Haverhill
Holyoke
JFY Networks
Jobs for Youth
Johnson & Wales University
Keene
Kennebec Valley Council of Governments
Lamoille County Planning Commission
Lawrence
Lewiston
Lowell
Lynn
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Main South Community Development Corporation
Maine State Planning Office
Mansfield
Marl borough
Massachusetts Highway Department
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Meeting Street
Meriden
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board
Methuen
Middlesex Community College
Middletown
Monson
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
Mystic Valley Development Commission
Nashua
Nashua Regional Planning Commission
New  Bedford
New  Britain
New  Haven
New  London
New  Milford
Newington
New  Hampshire Coastal Planning Office
New  Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Norfolk County
North Adams
North Brookfield
North Country Council
North Star Center for Human Development
Northampton
Northborough
Northeastern Vermont Development Association
Northwest Regional Planning Commission
Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
Norwich
Orono
Peabody
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Portland
Providence
Providence Community Health Centers
Raymond
Regional Growth Partnership
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation
River Valley Growth Council
Rutland Redevelopment Authority
Rutland Regional Planning Commission
Salem
Sanford
Shelton
Somerville
South Brewer Redevelopment, LLC
South Central Regional Council of Governments
Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission
Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission
Southwest Region Planning Commission
Sprague
Springfield
Stamford
STRIVE/Boston
Ta union
The Workplace, Inc.
Torrington
Trust for Public Land
Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission
Valley Council  of Governments
Vermont Agency of Commerce  and Community Devel-
opment
Vernon
Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation
Walpole
Warwick
WEIR Corporation
West Springfield
Westbrook
Westfield
Winchester/Winsted
Windham Regional Commission
Woonsocket
Worcester

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www.epa.gov/ne/brownfields
t This report is printed on 100% recycled paper made from

  100% post-consumer waste, using vegetable-based inks.
SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
Brownfields Redevelopment in New England:    EPA 901-R-06-001
A Look Back 1994-2006                  October 2006

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