^    Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
               Orono, ME
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 Town of Orono was selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. Incorporated in 1806, Orono (population
9,712) was a leading lumber town in the Penobscot River
Valley. Orono's saw and lumber mills, specialty wood
product manufacturers, and pulp and paper mills,
including the targeted Webster Mill site, were located at
the junction of the Stillwater and Penobscot Rivers to take
advantage of natural water power. The Webster Mill
employed hundreds of workers in paper manufacturing,
fabrication of steel parts for guns during World War II,
and recycling of used woolen textiles in the 1970s and
1980s. Today, the mill is in poor structural condition, and
contaminants at the site pose a risk to human health and
the environment. Numerous low-income residential
properties are located in the site area. The target area's
poverty rate is 27 percent. Site cleanup will enhance the
neighborhood by reducing health threats. The
54,000-square-foot building has the potential to
accommodate a variety of residential, institutional, and
commercial reuse options.
                     Cleanup Grant

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances

                     EPA has selected the Town of Orono for a
                     brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
                     grant funds will be used to clean up the Webster
                     Mill site at 5 Shore Drive. The site has been used
                     since the late 1800s for various industrial
                     purposes, including paper, lumber, and wool
                     milling. Site soil is contaminated with arsenic and
                     other inorganic contaminants. Grant funds also
                     will be used to support community involvement
                     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/regionl/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: Town of Orono,ME
                     (207)866-5051

                     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-09-215
      May 2009

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