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Town of Peru , Maine Wins EPA Site Assessment Grant

Release Date: 05/01/2003
Contact Information: Andrew Spejewski, EPA Press Office, 617-918-1014

BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the town of Peru, Maine, and the River Valley Growth Council (RVGC) have been awarded a Brownfields Targeted Site Assessment to help spur redevelopment of the former Diamond Match mill. Under the award, an EPA contractor will be evaluating environmental conditions and cleanup options for the site. The services are valued at $100,000.

"This grant is one step towards bringing more economic life to Peru and the area," said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for EPA's New England Office. "This assessment will remove the uncertainty that has prevented redevelopment."

"We couldn't have gone forward without this grant," said Scott Christiansen, executive director of RVGC. "Once this building is fixed up, it will be a job engine for the area."

The eight acre site containing the former Diamond Match mill is being transferred to the RVGC, a regional non-profit economic development corporation. The council's goal is to rehabilitate the property to attract a wood products industry to the town. By providing solid information about contamination and cleanup costs, the site assessment can help allow redevelopment to go forward.

EPA's brownfields program is designed to help spur the beneficial re-use of properties that are abandoned because of a fear of environmental contamination. Since 1994, EPA has awarded over $3.7 million in brownfields funding in Maine. For more information on the brownfields program in New England, visit https://www.epa.gov/region1/brownfields.