HI
                            C3
 Brownfields  2003

 Grant Fact Sheet

         Gardner,  MA



EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Gardner was selected to receive an
assessment grant. Gardner (population 21,000) is a
small, blue-collar community located in central Massa-
chusetts, 59 miles northwest of Boston. The general
decline in Massachusetts' manufacturing sector has hit
Gardner particularly hard because nearly a third of the
city's jobs are in manufacturing. The city's median
family income is lower than state and county averages,
and Gardner's poverty rate  is higher than the state
average. The state of Massachusetts has designated
Gardner as a "Mini-Entitlement Community" and the
city is part of the Northern Worcester County Regional
Economic Target Area under the state's Economic
Development Incentive Program. The city wants to
continue work begun through participation in the
   Assessment Grant
   $100,000 for hazardous substances
   $ 100,000 for petroleum

   EPA has selected the City of Gardner for a
   brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum funds
   will be used to develop an inventory of petroleum
   sites in the city and conduct up to four Phase I,
   two Phase II, and one Phase III assessments on
   sites contaminated with petroleum. Hazardous
   substance funds will be used to update the city's
   brownfields site inventory, conduct community
   outreach, and conduct up to four Phase I, two
   Phase II, and one Phase III assessments on  sites
   contaminated with hazardous substances.
   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 at:
   www.epa.gov/brownfields.

   EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
   617-918-1210
   http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

   Grant Recipient: City of Gardner, MA
   978-630-4014

   Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the City
   of Gardner has not received brownfields grant funding.

   The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been
   negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
   are subject to change.
Montaschusett Regional Brownfields Initiative's
brownfields assessment pilot. Implementation of the
city's strategy will increase assessment and
remediation of brownfields in the downtown, industrial
areas adjacent to the downtown, and former manufac-
turing sites located in predominately residential neigh-
borhoods.
                                                   Solid Waste and
                                                   Emergency Response
                                                   (5105T)
                         EPA 500-F-03-098
                         June 2003
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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