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EPA Awards $17.5 Million to Clean Up Brownfield Sites in New England; Funds help protect health, the environment and Revitalize communities

Release Date: 05/28/2014
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

BOSTON – EPA has awarded more than $17.48 million in Brownfield grants to municipalities and organizations working to protect people’s health by assessing and cleaning up contaminated parcels in New England communities.

The grants, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grant program, provide communities with funding necessary to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.

In the six New England states, EPA is awarding 48 separate grants to 46 different recipient organizations. The funding is part of $67 million in EPA Brownfields investments awarded across the country.

“Funding provided by EPA’s Brownfields program is an important asset for local communities working to get abandoned or derelict properties assessed, cleaned up and back into productive use,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “EPA’s investments in our communities through Brownfields grants leverage an average of approximately $17 for every dollar we spend. This is a wise investment in cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites, creating jobs and new economic opportunities, and overall making our communities stronger and our environment cleaner.”

In New England, since the beginning of the Brownfields program, EPA has awarded 315 assessment grants totaling $90.5 million, 68 revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding totaling $85.2 million and 222 cleanup grants totaling $60.7 million. These grant funds have paved the way for more than $2.2 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for nearly 14,000 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction and redevelopment. These investments and jobs target local, under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

In New England, the following Brownfields grants are being awarded this year:

Connecticut - $4,050,000
• City of Bridgeport, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Progressive Plating site)
• Greater Bridgeport Regional Council, $900,000 (community-wide Revolving Loan Fund grant)
• Capitol Region Council of Governments, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant), $950,000 (community-wide Revolving Loan Fund grant)
• City of New London, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Town of Preston, $600,000 (cleanup grant for 3 parcels associated with Norwich Hospital)
• City of Shelton, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Chromium Process parcel)
• Town of Stratford, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Mercer Fuel site)

In addition to the preceding Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants, earlier this month EPA provided two grants to organizations in Connecticut through the Brownfields-related Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program. Grants of $200,000 each went to Workplace, Inc. in Bridgeport, and to Northstar Center for Human Development in Hartford. EPA also is providing “Targeted Brownfields Assessment” assistance to the City of Bridgeport for assessment work at Johnson Creek Properties in Bridgeport, valued at $115,000.

Maine - $3,800,000
• City of Bangor, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of Bath, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of Belfast, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Maskers Theater/Thompson Wharf)
• City of Biddeford, $200,000 (cleanup grant for former MERC facility)
• Congress Street Hill Property, LLC (Belfast), $200,000 (cleanup grant for Old Waldo County Jail)
• Hancock County Planning Commission, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Town of Kittery, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Wood Island Lifesaving Station)
• Northern Maine Development Commission, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, $1 Million (community-wide Revolving Loan Fund grant)
• The Community Library (Lyman), $200,000 (cleanup grant for Lyman Cousens School property)
• Washington County Council of Governments, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)

Massachusetts - $4,850,000
• City of Boston - DND, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of Chicopee, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Facemate parcel #1) and $200,000 (cleanup grant for Uniroyal Site - Lot 147-10)
• Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Franklin Regional Council of Governments, $300,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of Holyoke, $200,000 (cleanup grant for Automania Site)
• City of Lowell, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of New Bedford, $400,000 (cleanup grant for Cliftex Mill site, 2 properties)
• City of Salem, $950,000 (community-wide Revolving Loan Fund grant)
• City of Somerville, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• City of Springfield, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Taunton Dev./MassDev. Corp. (non-profit), $600,000 (cleanup grant for Paul Dever School - 3 properties)
• The Neighborhood Corporation (Taunton), $200,000 (cleanup grant for former NuBrite Chemical)

In addition to the preceding Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants, EPA also is providing “Targeted Brownfields Assessment” assistance to the Town of Lee for assessment work at Eagle Mill Complex in Lee, valued at $115,000.

New Hampshire - $600,000
• City of Manchester, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Southwest Region Planning Commission, $400,000 (community-wide assessment grant)

In addition to the preceding Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants, EPA also is providing “Targeted Brownfields Assessment” assistance to Monadnock Economic Development Corp. for assessment work at Old Keene Landfill in Keene, valued at $115,000.

Rhode Island - $2,711,685
• 60 King Street, Inc. (Providence), $200,000 (cleanup grant for Imperial Knife facility)
• I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, $200,000 (assessment grant for I-95 Redevelopment District)
• Olneyville Housing Corp. (Providence), $411,685 (cleanup grant for Paragon Mills Complex - 3 properties)
• Pawtucket Citizens Development Corp., $400,000 (cleanup grant for 30 & 41 Branch Street)
• Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency (& Central Falls), $700,000 (community-wide Revolving Loan Fund grant)
• Providence Redevelopment Agency, $400,000 (cleanup grant for American Tourister - 2 properties)
• Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Town of Westerly, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)

Vermont - $1,475,500
• City of Barre, $600,000 (cleanup grant for Merchants Row - 3 properties)
• Bellows Falls Historical Society, Inc., $200,000 (cleanup grant for Historic Riverfront Park & Trail)
• Green Mountain Economic Development Corp. (Bradford), $200,000 (cleanup grant for Twin State Fertilizer Plant)
• Rutland Regional Planning Commission, $200,000 (community-wide assessment grant)
• Saxtons River, $275,500 (cleanup grant for Sandri Property/River Mill Park Sites)

In addition to the preceding Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants, EPA also is providing “Targeted Brownfields Assessment” assistance to the City of Burlington for assessment work at Street Department Site in Burlington, valued at $115,000.

More information:

- EPA Brownfields work in New England: https://www.epa.gov/region1/brownfields/index.html
- Brownfields grants by state: https://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/
- National EPA Brownfields info: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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