The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will provide $3.45 million in brownfields grants to Connecticut communities for the clean up and redevelopment of contaminated and abandoned sites.
EPA will provide grants to the following Connecticut municipalities and groups:
• Waterbury Development Corp., $950,000 (2 Community-wide assessments and 1 Multi-Purpose grant for assessment & cleanup work at Waterbury Industrial Commons at 1875 Thomaston Avenue)
• Town of Preston, $800,000 (1 assessment and 3 cleanup grants, Norwich State Hospital Property)
• Valley Council of Governments, $750,000 (2 Community-wide assessments and 1 Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental grant)
• Regional Economic Xcelleration Development (REX), $350,000 (Community-wide Revolving Loan Fund Supplemental grant)
• City of Meriden, $200,000 (cleanup grant, 116 Cook Ave. parcel)
• City of Middletown, $200,000 (cleanup grant, Midstate Autobody Property)
• Town of Newtown, $200,000 (cleanup grant, Fairfield Hills Campus)
The Waterbury Development Corp. is one of nine nationwide recipients of a new pilot grant for the redevelopment of contaminated properties. Funded by the Brownfields Program, the Multi-Purpose grant will help recipients in assessment and cleanup activities and expedite the transition from assessment to cleanup.
EPA’s Brownfields Program encourages the revitalization of the country’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in order to protect health and the environment and promote economic growth. The Connecticut funding is part of more than $69 million in nationwide brownfields investments announced in the past week.
Since the beginning of the EPA program in 1995, New England has received 296 assessment grants, 62 revolving loan fund grants, and 213 cleanup grants, all totaling $188 million, according to the EPA. The program has created 9,756 jobs in assessment, cleanup, construction, and redevelopment on more than 2200 sites across the region.
