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                           Assessment Pi
                            City of Northampton,  MA
BACKGROUND

EPA has  selected the City of Northampton for a
Brownfields Assessment Pilot. The City of Northampton
(population 30,000) is situated on the banks of the
Connecticut River, a designated American Heritage River,
in west-central Massachusetts. This Pilottargets five sites
in the city' s Historic Mill River Corridor, a strip of land that
passes through downtown. Specific target sites include a
former felt manufacturing plant with above-ground
hazardous  substances storage tanks, a former factory
facility that may have been a machine shop and is now a
residential  property, and a former coal gasification plant.

Northampton's brownfields sites are randomly scattered
throughout the city in neighborhoods of all income levels.
In the downtown, however, brownfields disproportionately
affect predominately low- and moderate-income
populations. Each of the target sites selected for the Pilot
is in orneararesidentialneighborhoodinneed of economic
growth and redevelopment.  Due to the city's rapidly
declining industrial base, the  current economic strength
has shifted to retail and commercial  operations that
generally pay lessthan industrial sectorjobs. Although the
city' s unemployment rate is low, the poverty level is nearly
12 percent because low-wage jobs predominate the
economy.  The average annual wage  is $29,345, or
approximately two-thirds ofthe state average of $44,329.

OBJECTIVES

The city's objective is to return three sites in the Historic
Mill River Corridor to productive reuse. To accomplish
this goal, Pilot funds will be used to conduct Phase I and
Phase II environmental site assessments at three  sites,
ensure that the community is involved in Pilot activities and
decision making, and prepare final reports on all three
sites.
   PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
May 2002

Amount: $200,000

Profile: The Pilottargets three
former industrial sites for
redevelopment in the Historic
Mill River Corridor downtown.
    City of Northampton,
    Massachusetts
   Contacts:
   City of Northampton - Office of
   Planning and Development
   (413)587-1265
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA Region 1
(617)918-1424
        Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
        http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

      For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
    additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
    publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
              www.epa.gov/brownfields

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental site
  assessments on the three identified properties;

• Preparing cleanup and reuse plans for these sites; and

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• Conducting community outreach activities to keep the
  public informed of Pilot activities and to encourage their
  participation in decision making.

The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                                                                 Solid Waste             EPA 500-F-02-053
                                                                 and Emergency         May 2002
                                                                 Response (5105)       www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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