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EPA Awards Funds to Cleanup and Revitalize Quincy, Mass.

Release Date: 06/29/2011
Contact Information: Paula Ballentine, 617-918-1027

(Boston, Mass. – June 28, 2011) – As part of $3.5 million in Brownfields grants that EPA is making available for Massachusetts communities, EPA has provided a $200,000 Brownfield cleanup grant to the City of Quincy. The funding is part of more than $76 million in EPA brownfields investments across the country announced recently by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to protect health and the environment, create jobs and promote economic re-development in American communities.

“This EPA funding will help strengthen the economic foundation of these communities,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA New England’s office. “Cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites helps create jobs, providing a solid foundation for a community to create new businesses and neighborhood centers, while making our environment cleaner and the community healthier.”

The $200,000 will go toward the Work Inc. 3 Arlington Street Site. Work Inc. is a nonprofit, provides services to persons with disabilities, including job training, rehabilitation services, housing, counseling, and case management studies. The clean-up will address contamination by hazardous substances, including metals, namely cadium, nickel and lead, and chlorinated solvents.  The 1.35 acre site contains a vacant former industrial/service office facility, consisting of several buildings on three adjacent parcels.

“It’s always a good thing when we clean up our cities and rehabilitate abandoned areas to provide better services for our citizens,” said Rep. Keating.  “But it’s a great thing when we are able to chip away at Quincy’s remaining contaminated sites and turn them into facilities for organizations that promote positive programs.  This Brownfield Grant allows us to continue to renew the city of Quincy.”

"This grant is a great testament to EPA's ongoing commitment to providing cities the tools to transform contaminated sites into economic engines," said Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch. "We are grateful to the EPA and to Congressman Keating for their work to secure this important funding for the City of Quincy."  

The site is located in an environmental justice area and is one block from the Red Line subway stop and shared-use car rental (Zip Cars).  The anticipated end-use of the site is for transit oriented and mixed-use housing, including affordable housing units for disabled persons.

"We at WORK, Inc. are elated that the EPA has chosen us to receive this Brownfields Remediation Grant.  Our 60,000 square foot site in North Quincy will now be prepared for development in such a way that any prospective developers will be assured that the site will be remediated and development can proceed with assurances that the city of Quincy and the neighborhood will be improved dramatically.  Our sincere thanks and appreciation to the United States Environmental Protection Agency New England Region," said James Cassetta, CEO/ President of Work Inc.

As of June 2011, EPA’s brownfields assistance has leveraged more than $16.3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment funding, and helped create more than 70,000 jobs in 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.

Since the beginning of the Brownfields Program, in New England alone EPA has awarded 268 assessment grants totaling $67.1 million, 61 revolving loan fund grants and supplemental funding totaling $65 million and 174 cleanup grants totaling $39.3 million. These grant funds have paved the way for more than $1.3 billion in public and private cleanup and redevelopment investment and for 8815 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction and redevelopment.

In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed. The brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands, sites contaminated by petroleum, or sites contaminated as a result of manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs (e.g. meth labs).

More Information:

EPA Brownfields program in New England: http://epa.gov/region1/brownfields/index.html

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