/r^. Brownfields 2000 Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
IW * Fact Sheet
Berlin, 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
Berlin is a small suburban town located in central
Connecticut. Typical of many smaller New England
communities, Berlin has identified a number of
brownfields sites. The Town is surrounded by four cities
and towns designated by the State as distressed
"Enterprise Zone" communities. The Town will serve as
a model for the administration of brownfields
redevelopment by a small community. Berlin has long
been industrialized and has numerous idle, abandoned, or
underutilized sites. Many of the brownfields sites are in
prominent locations that are having a blighting influence
on the community. The Town has developed some
innovative mechanisms to encourage site investigation,
remediation, and redevelopment. It is one of the first
communities in the State to sell tax liens on brownfields
sites.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000
Amount: $500,000
Profile: Sites throughout the Town of Berlin
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: Town of Berlin,CT
(860) 828-7005
Objectives
Berlin will use its BCRLF Pilot for gap financing. The
Town also intends to contribute employment
opportunities to the regional economy including making
jobs available to residents of Berlin and contiguous
Enterprise Zone communities. Potential sites for
BCRLF loans include the former National Automatics
Products Company (NAPCO) property, the former
Circuits, Inc. site, the Christian Lane site, and two tax
delinquent properties that the Town is monitoring.
Activities
Fund Structure and Operations
The Town of Berlin's Economic Development
Department will serve as lead agency. Other
participating town entities will include the Fire Marshal,
the Finance Department, the Department of
Development Services, and the Town Attorney. The US
Army Corps of Engineers will serve as site manager.
The Town will hire a Connecticut-licensed
environmental professional to work with the Corps of
Engineers. A fund manager will be selected by
United States	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 500-F-00-139
nil- a	ancl Emergency	.. __
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	MaV00
Washington, DC 20450	^ v '

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competitive bid. It is anticipated that three to four loans
will be made with the initial capitalization.
Berlin will complement the BCRLF program with
additional town services and administrative
contributions. In the past, the Town has sold tax liens at
a discount and reduced the assessment on properties
during investigation and cleanup periods to support
brownfields remediation. The Town will continue to
make this investment in properties to stimulate
brownfields property reuse.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of
funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
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-00-139
May 00

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