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EPA TO AWARD SUPERFUND REDEVELOPMENT GRANT TO CORRINA

Release Date: 07/13/2000
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Affairs Office, (617) 918-1064

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that Corinna, Maine, is in line to receive a federal grant of $82,500 to assist the community in planning for the productive use of the Eastland Woolen Mill Superfund Site.

This 21-acre site includes the former a 250,000-square-foot mill building, two dams and several out buildings. Corrina is among eight communities in New England that are in line to receive a total of $748,000.

EPA's cleanup of the old mill necessitates tearing down of much of the downtown area to access the contaminated soil. The demolition will provide space for a new Main Street, while also changing the course of the river, and constructing a new bridge. City officials have a rare opportunity to rebuild the entire downtown and design it to be an attractive and friendly town center with a variety of uses. EPA planning funds will be used to design a reuse plan that is compatible with EPA's cleanup and to examine the impact of reusing the site - all through a public process involving community residents.

"Across New England, we are demonstrating that through ingenuity and common sense we can expand the economy while cleaning and preserving our natural resources," said Mindy Lubber, regional administrator for EPA New England. "The redevelopment initiative is an aggressive planning tool that encourages communities to decide on the future use of abandoned and contaminated properties, and in the case of Corinna it is an opportunity to design a vital and active city center."

"Today's announcement represents the kind of cooperative role the federal government can - and should - play in assuring the health and well-being of our citizens," said Sen. Olympia J. Snowe. "The Eastland Woolen Mill was an important chapter in Corinna's history. With this cleanup, this site will form the core of a new chapter, and a healthier new day for the next generation."

"This funding will help local officials develop and implement plans for the future productive use of the site," said U.S. Rep. John Baldacci. "These EPA resources will assist in the effort to strengthen and enhance the local economy."

Easter Woolen Mill produced wool fabrics from 1936 to 1996, when it closed. Chemicals used in its wool production process were discharged as wastewater into the East Branch of the Sebasticook River, which flows under the mill. In July 1999, EPA added the site to its list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup.