i O \ Brownfields 2004 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet I Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation, Vernon, CT 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 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. Community Description The Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Of the town's 28,063 residents, 7,708 live in the Rockville section, which was once world-famous for its production of fine woolens. For more than 100 years, the Hockanum Mill site was a major employer in the once thriving industrial community of Vernon. From 1885 until the 1950s, the mill site was used for wool and textile manufacturing. Once the mill ceased operations, it was used as a machinery and plumbing warehouse until the 1980s, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Thirteen major factories thrived here, but now only two remain. The per capita income of Rockville residents is well below the state average. In 2001, Rockville was selected for the Connecticut Main Street Program, which is under the direction of the National Main Street Program, and has since made significant progress toward improving its downtown area. Plans for redevelopment of the Hockanum Mill site after remediation include rental housing, retail space, office space, small manufacturing use, and a two-acre riverfront area set aside for open space, public access, and amenities. Cleanup Grant $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation for a brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to clean up petroleum contamination at the seven-acre Hockanum Mill site in the Rockville section of Hockanum. Funds will also be used for community outreach activities, including fact sheet development and notifying and involving the community in the proposed project. 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: Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation, CT Roosevelt Mills Redevelopment Project Corporation (860) 870-3665 Hockanum Industrial Development Venture Corporation (860) 870-3665 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-04-138 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2004 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-04-138 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2004 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |