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

-------