Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Winchester, CT

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

ASSESSMENT GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Town of Winchester for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach and education; perform Phase I, II, and III environmental site assessments; and conduct feasibility studies to select preferred remedial technology alternatives for sites that require cleanup.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Town of Winchester was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Winchester (population 10,600), located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, typifies the traditional New England mill town. Once successful manufacturing facilities, many located along the Mad and Still Rivers, have closed, leaving behind vacant, deteriorated, and often boarded up structures. This predominantly blue-collar town has experienced a decline in population, and now has a higher than average unemployment rate, and lower than average income. In addition to being a blight, brownfields properties pose a potential risk to the local rivers and the community because of the historical use of hazardous materials in many of the industrial facilities that once occupied the area. The properties include a site next to a hotel and conference center currently under development, a former transfer storage facility flanked by multi-family dwellings and offices, and other contaminated commercial sites with known hazardous substances contamination that pose a threat to adjacent properties. Assessment and cleanup of these sites will allow the town to develop reuse plans for the sites and link these plans to Winchester's other revitalization efforts. The town expects that redevelopment will attract private investment to the community, creating new jobs, and increasing property values and the tax base.

CONTACTS

For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1221
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

Grant Recipient: Town of Winchester, CT
860-738-6593

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.