Brownfields Success Story The Past Is Prologue for Taylor Colliery Taylor Borough, Pennsylvania Beginning in 1856 and for more than a century, the Taylor Colliery was best known for coal mining and heavy industry. The 150-acre site provided nearly 700 jobs for the Taylor Borough community in its heyday. But as coal production declined, so did Taylor Borough. The colliery closed in 1966, and the site sat abandoned for more than 50 years. The Cleanup Taylor Borough received two grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one in 2006 for assessment and another in 2010 for cleanup, totaling $400,000. A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment revealed that, in addition to soil contamination, the site was riddled with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals. Nearby Keyser Creek was also impacted by sedimentation of red ash materials. Taylor received more than $3 million in private, local, state and federal funds to help remediate the site. All impacted soils were delineated and disposed. Subsurface hazards, such as dangerous mine spoil piles and embankments and vertical mine shafts, were mitigated. Remediation activities were completed by 2015. The Benefits The plan for the Taylor Colliery redevelopment is to construct 54 single homes, 224 townhomes and 116 condominiums, as well as a community center and an area for office buildings. The rest of the land will be used as open space by the community. Taylor Borough estimates that the completion of the redevelopment project will put more than 200 acres of land back in active reuse. The development is also estimated to generate up to $3 million for the borough and create approximately 250 new jobs for Taylor residents. &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency EPA Grant Recipient: Taylor Borough EPA Grant Types: Brownfield Assessment, Brownfield Cleanup Former Use: Coal Mining Current Uses: Residential, Commercial This project is a great example of government at work. It's amazing how reclaiming and repurposing land that was vacant for so long can make a town so much more vibrant. Ed Fortuna, Secretary, Development Authority of the Borough of Taylor For more information: Visit the EPA Brownfields website at www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact Felicia Fred or Fred.Felicia@epa.gov. H:Pa,5B0-F4y2M October 20T? ------- |