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  Brownfields  2004

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

         Attleboro,  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. Abrownfield 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, the President
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 program
s through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Attleboro was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Attleboro (population
42,068), an old manufacturing city, is located in Bristol
County in southeastern Massachusetts. From 1992 to
the present, the city's manufacturing sector has
declined from 51.6 percent of the labor force to 39.3
percent. In 1999, when the target site, a former jewelry
manufacturing plant, downsized, more than 700 em-
ployees lost their jobs. The census tract surrounding
the target site (population 10,000) has the highest
percentage of minority populations in the city, second
lowest average family income, and a large percentage
of renter-occupied housing units. The approximately
six-acre site includes a 200,000 square-foot building
and three parking lots. In the early 1900s, the site had a
                       Assessment Grant
                       $200,000 petroleum

                       EPA has selected the City of Attleboro for a
                       brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
                       funds will be used to update a Phase I assess-
                       ment, conduct Phase II, III, and IV site assess-
                       ments, and determine use limitations for a former
                       jewelry and belt buckle manufacturing site.
                       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
                       617-918-1221
                       http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

                       Grant Recipient: Attleboro, MA
                       508-223-2222

                       The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
                       yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
                       in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                    gas house, which was eventually replaced by under-
                    ground storage tanks and a few above-ground tanks,
                    most of which were subsequently removed. Once
                    cleaned up, the plant will be restored for use as a
                    manufacturing facility, which is expected to generate
                    more than 500 new jobs. In addition, surrounding
                    parking lots may be converted into greenspace.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                                             EPA560-F-04-104
                                             June 2004
                                             www.epa.gov/brownfields

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