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Springfield Wins Green Building Grant

Release Date: 10/03/2002
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Press Office, 617-918-1064

Boston - The U.S. EPA today announced that the city of Springfield, MA, is one of eight communities nationally to be awarded EPA's first Green Building on Brownfields demonstration project funds. The city will receive up to $15,000 in consultant services for the development stage of a green building project.

The city of Springfield and the New North Citizen's Council, a non-profit social service organization in Springfield's Memorial Square neighborhood, plan to build a 25,000 square foot building on a Brownfield that incorporates the following design elements: optimal energy performance, use of renewable energy sources, daylighting technology, and the use of low-emitting construction materials. The area consists of ten properties, totaling 1.2 acres, including the site of the current offices for New North Citizen's Council, city-owned brownfields and several adjoining vacant lots.

The site where this building is to be built, is a 12,655 square foot parcel owned by the city. Springfield previously received $400,000 from EPA's Brownfields Assessment Pilot program and, among other projects, completed an environmental assessment of this parcel. The city has agreed to cleanup the site and ready it for redevelopment.

"We have been working for several years now to assist communities in getting Brownfields back into the market through good reuse and redevelopment options," said Robert W. Varney, EPA New England regional Administrator. "Now we want to promote redevelopment of energy smart design practices on these same properties. Not only can we help get theses old sites back on the tax rolls, we can design them with energy efficiency in mind."

Green buildings conserve energy, water and materials, and create health indoor and outdoor environments. They can include residential, commercial, institutional and industrial buildings and event major remodels of existing buildings.