United States Environmental Protection \'hI ** Agency FEDERAL FACILITY SUPERFUND PROGRAM NATIONAL FEDERAL FACILITY EXCELLENCE IN SITE REUSE AWARDS 2021 Award Winners Community Leadership Fosters Vibrant Center for Public and Private Enterprise Cleanup and Recreational Redevelopment Spurs Economic Growth as Destination Location Former Griffiss Air Force Base | Rome, New York From the 1940s to 1995, Griffiss Air Force Base supported electronic research and bomber missions. It also had an air defense mission and was home to a squadron of fighter-interceptor aircraft. The former Griffiss Air Force Base closed in 1995 due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. With the closure came an exciting opportunity to repurpose the 3,600-acre area. The partnership of the BRAC Cleanup Team, including the Air Force, EPA, the State of New York, the Griffiss Local Development Corporation, the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Corporation, Oneida County and the community, have made the reuse and restoration efforts a great success. The former base, now known as Griffiss Business and Technology Park, has evolved into a vibrant center for private and public enterprise. Today, the park is home to Griffiss International Airport and many businesses, and serves as a base for the New York Air National Guard and the Air Force Research Laboratory. Nearly 70 tenants employing thousands of people make the transformation of the former Griffiss Air Force Base into Griffiss Business and Technology Park a model that will benefit future redevelopment projects. Redevelopment focus areas include technology, manufacturing, aviation, office, education and recreation. Since 1995, facility investments have totaled more than $700 million, including road, infrastructure and airfield improvements, demolition, renovations and new construction. All improvement work and redevelopment projects were closely coordinated with the site's BRAC Cleanup Team. Las Colonias Park | Grand Junction, Colorado Through a variety of partnerships, a grand community vision and committed stakeholders, this former uranium processing facility has been transformed into a beautiful city-owned park next to the Colorado River, just south of downtown Grand Junction. The site's remedy included the removal and off-site disposal of 4.4 million cubic yards of contaminated materials, restoration of riparian areas, and cleanup of contaminated soils and groundwater. The 140-acre, mixed-use park, now known as Riverfront Park or Las Colonias, includes a 15-acre business zone, a 5,000-seat amphitheater, a riverfront park, a boat ramp, trails and an arboretum. The new park provides a destination for walking and biking along the Colorado River, and has become a catalyst for redevelopment in the surrounding area, with retail and restaurant space under development. The ongoing partnership between DOE and the City of Grand Junction ensures that the area will continue to be well cared for and protected for generations to come. Dollars and Cents: Economic Impacts of Reuse at Former Griffiss Air Force Base (2021) Number of Businesses: 66 "¦I Annual Sales: $466,872,234 ** Jobs: 4,707 Annual Employment Income: $348,231,728 Data Source: FFRRO Economic Analysis U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) January 2022 EPA 540/F-22/002 ------- Cleanup Transforms Nuclear Weapons Facility into National Wildlife Refuge and Recreation Resource Rocky Flats j Golden, Colorado This site was home to one of 13 nuclear weapons production facilities in the United States during the Cold War. Managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the plant was active from 1952 to 1994. Today, after an accelerated 10-year, $7 billion cleanup, part of the site is now home to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 2007, the refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge restores and preserves native ecosystems, provides habitat for migratory wildlife, and provides recreation opportunities for surrounding communities. Cleanup removed nuclear materials and decommissioned, decontaminated, demolished and removed more than 800 structures. DOE also removed more than 500,000 cubic meters of low-level radioactive waste. After cleanup, DOE's Office of Legacy Management monitors and maintains two closed landfills, four groundwater collection systems, three groundwater treatment systems, and more than 100 surface water and groundwater monitoring locations. Solar arrays power all site systems. Today, the 5,237-acre area has striking vistas of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and rolling prairie grasslands, woodlands and wetlands. It is home to 239 wildlife species, including prairie falcons, deer, elk, coyotes, songbirds and the federally threatened Preble's Meadow jumping mouse. In 2018, EPA staff came together with federal, state and local governments and the community to celebrate the opening of a new trail system at the refuge. Future plans call for an interpretive center and connecting the trail system with the Rocky Mountain Greenway, an 80- mile trail loop that will pass through downtown Denver, six counties and three other federal land areas. Multi-Use Park and New Housing Attract Visitors, Benefit Local Residents and Seniors Naval Air Station Key West | Key West, Florida For decades, this facility hosted coastal air patrols and a submarine base. After the facility's partial closure under the BRAC Act of 1990, cleanup planning took reuse considerations into account, with the U.S. Navy agreeing to clean up site areas to levels more stringent than required to enable recreational development. Today, part of the former naval air station is now Truman Waterfront Park. The park, 15 years in the making, is the result of extensive coordination among the City of Key West, the U.S. Navy, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, state regulators and the public. The 23-acre park includes an interactive water feature and playground, a turnaround and transit stops for public transportation, a 3,500-seat amphitheater, a multipurpose field, a dog park, a pedestrian promenade, and horse stables for the Key West mounted police. The park hosts a range of seasonal events, including a farmers market, sculpture art and concerts. Former Navy housing now also provides 212 low- income, affordable housing units at Poinciana Plaza and 106 assisted living facility units at the Poinciana Gardens Senior Living Community. "EPA is honored to recognize Naval Air Station Key West with the National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award. This project is a true testament to the success we can achieve by working cooperatively with our federal, state, and local partners to convert a contaminated site info an economic and community asset for Key West." - John Blevins, Acting Administrator, EPA Region 4 "We are humbled to be recognized by EPA with these esteemed awards. Our remediation efforts were a catalyst, but if also took vision and commitment from the community to turn these properties into valuable resources. These sites demonstrate the importance of DOE's work and how cooperation and communication with state, local and tribal communities can generate opportunities for smart reuse." - Carmelo Melendez, Director, DOE's Office of Legacy Management EPA's National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards These awards recognize the dynamic approaches and cooperation among federal agencies, states, tribes, local partners and developers that have led to noteworthy restoration and reuse of federal facility sites. To learn more about the awards and to explore nominating a site for a future award, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/fedfac. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO) January 2022 EPA 540/F-22/002 ------- |