w5 PR Brownfields 1997 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet Naugatuck Valley, CT EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. Background EPA Region 1 selected the Naugatuck Valley Regional Planning Agency for a Regional Brownfields Pilot. Naugatuck River Valley has a long history of industrial development and contains at least 168 contaminated sites. In 1992, there was a 9.9 percent unemployment rate in the Central Valley. The depressed economy typifies the troubled economy of the State. Current projections for job growth in Connecticut through year 2010 are the lowest in the nation. The Pilot will focus on two or three sites within the 45-mile long valley, that will be selected through an advisory committee including members from participating towns. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 10/01/1996 Amount: $90,000 Profile: The Pilot targets two or three brownfields with redevelopment potential within the 45-mile Valley. 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/brownfields) Grant Recipient: Naugatuck Valley, CT (203)735-8688 Objectives The intent of the Valley Regional Planning Agency's brownfields effort is to assess cleanup and reuse contaminated land and water in the Valley. The Valley Regional Planning Agency will establish and maintain a Regional Environmental Redevelopment Agency (RERA) to act as the primary brownfields broker and redevelopment facilitator for the Naugatuck Valley. The Pilot plans to establish selection criteria to identify priority sites for redevelopment, thereby facilitating remediation and redevelopment by assessing these sites, identifying potential purchasers, and designing a regional land-use plan. Activities The Pilot has: • Received commitments from eight municipalities in the Valley to be participating members of RERA. Seeking participation of other municipalities; and United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-97-058 May 97 ------- • Prepared and distributed a communications package that included several fact sheets describing the function of RERA and key brownfields-related topics to various businesses, community, and governmental groups. The Pilot is: • Establishing site selection criteria and identifying priority sites for brownfields redevelopment; • Planning to conduct environmental assessments at priority sites; • Working to expand community awareness of brownfields and the environment through additional outreach planning; and • Planning to develop a comprehensive remediation and development strategy for two or three sites. This will include consideration of alternative ownership mechanisms that address liability limitations, interim financing, sale contracts, and local authority approvals. Experience with the Naugatuck Valley Pilot has been a catalyst for related activities including the following. • RERA is working with the State of Connecticut to establish a revolving loan fund that could be used to finance brownfields redevelopment projects within the Naugatuck Valley. • Developing other services to assist municipalities and private parties in redeveloping brownfields sites. These services include creating: (1) a revolving loan fund; (2) a voluntary clearinghouse of available brownfields properties; (3) a technical assistance service available to municipalities seeking to acquire abandoned properties; and (4) ad hoc advisory councils to help resolve future redevelopment issues. 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 and Emergency Response (5105T) Solid Waste EPA 500-F-97-058 May 97 ------- w5 PR Brownfields 1997 Supplemental Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet Naugatuck Valley, CT EPA Brownfields Initiative 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. Background EPA awarded Naugatuck Valley supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. The Naugatuck River Valley has a long history of industrial development and contains at least 168 contaminated sites. In 1992, there was a 9.9 percent unemployment rate in the Central Valley. The depressed economy typifies the troubled economy of the state. Current projections for job growth in Connecticut through the year 2010 are the lowest in the nation. The supplemental Pilot will continue the coordinated efforts of municipalities within the 45-mile-long valley. The Valley Regional Planning Agency (VRPA) established the Naugatuck Valley Brownfields Pilot (NVBP) to act as the Pilot's primary brownfields broker and redevelopment facilitator. Since its origination, the Pilot has added two municipalities within the valley for brownfields assessments; the VRPA now coordinates brownfields projects on behalf of 10 municipalities within the valley. Brownfields within each municipality are selected for assessment by an advisory committee that includes members from participating towns. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 03/01/2000 Amount: $150,000 Profile: Naugatuck Valley, CT. The Pilot targets brownfields from 10 municipalities within the 45-mile-long Naugatuck Valley. 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/brownfields) Grant Recipient: Naugatuck Valley, CT (203)735-8688 Objectives The intent of the VRPA's brownfields effort is to assess, clean up, and reuse contaminated land and water in the valley. Utilizing the administrative capacity of the regional organization and the individual municipalities facilitated through the original Pilot funding, the supplemental funding will be used primarily for environmental assessments. The Pilot will use established selection criteria to identify priority sites for redevelopment and then facilitate cleanup and redevelopment by assessing these sites and creating final development strategies. To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to: • Identify brownfields within each of the participating municipalities; and • Conduct Phase II environmental assessments at the targeted properties. The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-00-037 Apr 00 ------- 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-00-037 _ . . and Emergency . __ Protection Agency Response (5105*0 Apr°° Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |