Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Meriden, CT
RECOUERY.GOV
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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into
law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The
Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our
economy, and create or save millions of jobs. This law
provided stimulus funds to the Brownfields Program to
award grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial
and commercial sites. Under this law, EPA will provide
financial assistance to eligible applicants through four
competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving
loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Meriden was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located between Hartford and New
Haven, Meriden (population 58,244) has a manufacturing
history that began after construction of the railroad line in
1839. The city became known as the "Silver City" for its
many factories that produced household and military
items made of silver and other metals. Since the 1950s,
Meriden's industrial base has been declining, and many
manufacturing sites have been abandoned. Today,
Meriden's residents with the lowest incomes live in areas
adjacent to blighted and contaminated former industrial
and commercial properties. Meriden's downtown area,
including the targeted Dutch Hill/Action 13
Neighborhood, has struggled for years with flood control
problems. In the target area, 38.9 percent of residents are
Hispanic, and 21.5 percent of area residents live at or
below the poverty level. Brownfield assessments will help
investigate sites prior to the implementation of flood
control measures. They also are expected to be the first
step in achieving the city's overall revitalization program,
and increasing open space in the area.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Meriden for a
brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
update the city-wide inventory of brownfield sites,
create an inventory of recorded institutional and
engineering controls, and conduct up to five Phase
I and up to four Phase II environmental site
assessments. Grant funds also will be used to
support stakeholder 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: City of Meriden,CT
(203) 630-4152
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)
EPA 560-F-09-047
May 2009
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