Brownfields 2005 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Norfolk County, MA
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

Norfolk County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. During the  18th and 19th Centuries,
the Norfolk region of Massachusetts was a center of
industry, home to a variety of mills and factories. The
decline in these industries has resulted in an erosion of
the industrial and commercial tax base, a decline in
manufacturing jobs, and many abandoned and
underutilized sites. The targeted communities of
Franklin, Wrentham, and Plainville (total population
47,797) are three of Norfolk County's (population
650,308) high-growth towns. From 1990 to 2000,
Franklin experienced a 34 percent increase in
population, Wrentham experienced a  17 percent
increase, and Plainville experienced a 12 percent
increase. The residential growth in these towns has
surpassed commercial growth and the availability of
jobs in the area,  exerting stress on the municipalities.
Redevelopment of brownfields sites is expected to
increase economic development in the region, bringing
new businesses and job opportunities to the county and
diversifying its tax base. Revitalization of the sites will
also help preserve greenspace and protect
environmental resources and residents from the
potential risks of brownfields.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected Norfolk County for a brownfields
                   assessment grant. Funds will be used to develop an
                   inventory of sites, evaluate and prioritize the sites,
                   perform up to six Phase I and two Phase II site
                   assessments, and conduct community outreach
                   activities pertaining to the redevelopment of the sites
                   in partnership with the towns of Franklin, Plainville,
                   and Wrentham.

                   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: Norfolk County,MA
                   (781)461-6159

                   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)
EPA560-F-05-016
        May 05

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