Brownfields 2009 Revolving Loan Fund Grant Fact Sheet Torrington, CT 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. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this 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 City of Torrington was selected to receive a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. As the largest municipality within the Litchfield Hills region in northwest Connecticut, the City of Torrington (population 37,704) has a rich history of industrial development, producing machinery, textiles, brass, and hardware. This industrial growth was made possible by the Naugatuck River, which served as a source of power for manufacturing processes. The decline of these industries left behind many vacant mill buildings and manufacturing sites. Today, the city has high unemployment and poverty rates. Brownfield cleanups conducted through the RLF grant are expected to reduce sources of groundwater, air, and soil contamination, and help protect the Naugatuck River. Site cleanups also are expected to encourage the redevelopment of affordable housing. Revolving Loan Fund Grant $1,000,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the City of Torrington for a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the City of Torrington will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities for sites contaminated with hazardous substances. Grant funds also will support marketing, oversight, and community outreach activities. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site (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: City of Torrington,CT (860) 496-5920 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) EPA 560-F-09-058 May 09 ------- |