Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Windham Regional Commission, Southeast, VT EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states. communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The Windham Regional Commission was selected to receive an assessment grant. The commission serves the 23 towns in Windham County; the neighboring towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, and Winhall in Bennington County; and the town of Weston in Windsor County. The region's population is approximately 46,400. The Windham region has faced land use challenges because developers have found it easier to build on open pastures and greenfields rather than redevelop existing brownfields sites that litter downtown areas. Many of the region's brownfields are found in the towns of Brattleboro (population 8,289) and Bellows Falls (population 3,165), where more than 11 percent of the population lives in poverty. Median household incomes in these two towns are less than 75 percent of the statewide median. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Windham Regional Commission for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to perform Phase I and Phase II investigations on three sites in the Town of Brattleboro. Potential sites include a former manufacturing facility and sites along the Brattleboro waterfront that will be part of an extensive Union Station redevelopment project. Grant funds will also be used to conduct assessment activities on at least one additional site within the region served by the commission. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team (617)918-1424 EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site (http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields) Grant Recipient: Windham Regional Commission,VT (802) 257-4547 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA500-F-03-216 Jun 03 ------- |