brownfields
A Look Back
1994-2006
&ER&
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
-------
-------
brownfields
revitalization ,. , ,
in New England:
A Look Back
1994-2006
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
-------
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
-------
OOQ;
CD
o
cp_
o_
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
o
13
CD
Z!
Q.
O
o
CZJ
o
01
o
zs
o
CD
o
o"
zs
>
to
CD
zs
CD
Q.
-------
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
-------
OOQ;
CD
o
cp_
o_
o
13
CD
Z!
Q.
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.
o
o
Sincerely,
uo
.J-
Robert W. Varney
Regional Administrator
o
o
01
o
zs
o
CD
o
o"
zs
>
en
CD
zs
CD
Q.
Id
CD
-------
19992
New partnerships
have emerged among communities,
government agencies and private
investors to restore and reuse thousands
of contaminated New England properties.
-------
OOQ
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.
CD
cn
-------
0)
01
0)
o
Ql
CD
CO
o
o
o
o
"0
CD
!=
33
0)
o
a5
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
-------
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
co
CD
-------
c
: i
r.
0)
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
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.
: •
<
"O
CD
C
:
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.
CD
-------
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.
-------
19971
19992
Hi.
TC
Even though
New England is about the size of
Washington state, the area has received the
compared to the other nine EPA regions.
-------
OOQ
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.
-a
m
to
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Original Pilot Project
Bridgeport, CT
New stadium, home to the
Bridgeport Bluefish, in Bridgeport, CT
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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.
CD
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.
-------
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.
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
EPA Brownfields
Job Training Grants
have supported
approximately
130 graduates
within Boston.
CD
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
-------
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
j
D •
-------
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.
-------
OOQ
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.
Id
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Showcase Community
Lowell, MA
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
CB
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.
-------
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
j
CD
CO
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Showcase Community
Stamford, CT
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
•
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.
CD
Approximately 3,000 tons of soil contaminated
with chromium, lead, cadmium, petroleum
-------
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
j
D •
CD
ho
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Showcase Community
New Bedford, MA
Interior view of new greenhouses,
Sid Wainer & Son, New Bedford, MA
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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.
CD
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
-------
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.
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Showcase Community
Mystic Valley Development Commission, MA
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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.
CD
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.
-------
—o-
Boat House for the Tufts University
crew team and community use in
Medford, MA
j
CD
CO
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
Save The Bay Center foyer overlooking
Narragansett Bay, Rl
0)
o
CL
CD
Showcase Community
Providence, Rl
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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.
-------
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.
-------
environmental
justice
19992
EPA is committed
to ensuring environmental justice for all
people, regardless of race, color, national
origin or income.
-------
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-
id
CD
-------
0)
01
0)
o
Ql
CD
CO
o
o
o
o
"0
CD
!=
0)
ce:
CD
u—
c
g
o
m
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
-------
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
-------
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.
-------
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.
Id
CD
OJ
OJ
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Program:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
Rural Successes
Waypoint Visitors Center
Bellows Falls, VT
: •
<
"O
CD
C
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.
•
3)
•
•
CD
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
-------
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.
j
CD
CO
CD
CO
en
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Program:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
Rural Successes
Levi Heywood Memorial Library
Gardner, MA
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
Grantee:
Montachusett Regional
Planning Commission
CD
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.
-------
Interior of the new library, Gardner, MA
j
CD
CO
CD
OJ
-—I
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
Programs:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
and
EPA Brownfields
Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund Grant
Grantee:
City of Lewiston
CD
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.
-------
Bank facilities at the former Bates Mill
in Lewiston, ME
j
CD
CO
CD
OJ
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
Program:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
and
EPA Brownfields
Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund Grant
Grantee:
City of Westbrook
CD
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.
-------
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Program:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
Rural Successes
Railroad Row
Hartford, VT
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
Grantee:
Two Rivers— Ottauquechee
Regional Commission
CD
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.
-------
nn
I Ml I li
II
Revitalized downtown Hartford, VT
j
CD
CO
CD
-------
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.
-------
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.
id
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
: •
<
"O
CD
C
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.
•
3)
•
•
CD
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
-------
Grand Opening of Save-a-Lot Grocery Store
in Hartford, CT
j
D •
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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.
CD
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
-------
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Meeting Street Center,
Providence, Rl
Program: Nonprofit Successes
EPA Brownfieids Meeting Street National Center of Excellence
Cleanup Grant Providence, Rl
Grantee:
Meeting Street
: •
<
"O
CD
c
•
3)
•
•
CD
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.
-------
US?;
-------
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.
-------
OOQ
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.
id
CD
en
OJ
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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
M
CD
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.
-------
Activity side of senior center
in Nashua, NH
j
CD
CO
CD
en
en
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
In operation, Urban Oaks Organic Farm
in New Britain, CT
0)
o
CL
CD
Program:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant
Quality of Life Improvements
Urban Oaks Organic Farm
New Britain, CT
Grantee:
City of New Britain
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
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.
CD
-------
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Program:
EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grants
Quality of Life Improvements
Head Start Facilities
Somerville and Springfield, MA
: •
<
"O
CD
C
•
3)
•
•
Grantee:
City of Somerville
and
City of Springfield
CD
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
-------
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
j
CD
CO
CD
en
CD
-------
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.
-------
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
CD
-------
c
: i
C
CD
cn
0)
o
CL
CD
Class instruction
: •
<
"O
CD
C
:
•
CD
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.
-------
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)
j
CD
CO
CD
-------
,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.
-------
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
01
en
-------
0)
01
0)
o
Ql
CD
CO
o
o
o
o
-CT
CD
C
0)
cc:
0)
u—
!Z
g
O
m
CO
CO
CD
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
-------
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.
"O
ffl
Id
CD
-------
0)
01
0)
o
Ql
CD
CO
o
o
o
o
-CT
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
CD
C
0)
ce:
0)
u—
!Z
g
O
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)
-------
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
"O
ffl
Id
CD
-------
vvEPA New England
Proud hosts of the
2006 National Brownfields Conference
-------
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
-------
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
------- |