^    Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant  Fact Sheet
               Housing Support, Inc., Haverhill, 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. 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

Housing Support, Inc., was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Housing Support, Inc., a
foundation that provides housing for individuals with
disabilities, serves the City of Haverhill (population
58,969). There are 141 suspected hazardous substances
and petroleum brownfield sites throughout the city.  The
majority are located in the downtown region, the epicenter
of the shoe manufacturing empire that once thrived  in
Haverhill. Many are near the Merrimack River, which
was used by industry as a dumping ground for waste. The
target site is in Bradford Village on the south side of the
river from downtown Haverhill. Twenty-six percent of
target area residents are minorities, and 21 percent live
below the poverty level. Once the site is cleaned up, the
city is planning to move forward with its proposed River
Walk area redevelopment plan. The River Walk, designed
to connect the communities on the north and south sides
of the Merrimack River, is expected to spur economic
development along the riverfront and re-energize the area.
                     Cleanup Grant

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances

                     EPA has selected Housing Support, Inc., for a
                     brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
                     grant funds will be used to clean up the former
                     Hooker-Howe Costume Company site at 46 to 52
                     South Main Street in Haverhill. Site soil and
                     groundwater are contaminated with chlorinated
                     volatile organic compounds, including
                     tetrachloroethene, from historical dry cleaning
                     operations. Grant funds also will be used for
                     project oversight, monitoring, and 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: Housing Support, Inc.,MA
                     (978) 462-8304

                     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-09-263
      May 2009

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