a partnership of Connecticut communities

ANSONIA, BEACON FALLS, DERBY, NAUGATUCK, OXFORD, SEYMOUR, SHELTON, THOMASTON, WATERBURY and WATERTOWN

a project of and administered by the

August, 2000

The Naugatuck Valley Brownfields Pilot was established by an EPA grant in November 1996. The purpose of the Pilot is to provide Brownfields management capacity and financial resources for its municipal members. A Brownfield is an abandoned or underutilized, commercial or industrial site with suspected or known contaminants. There are an estimated 100 such sites in the Valley.

Since its inception, the Pilot has provided assessment funds or strategic guidance for 17 projects. New taxes and jobs have been created. The Pilot is establishing a $350,000 Revolving Loan Fund for site cleanups. It currently has more than $100,000 available for site assessments. The Pilot is a unique resource for the Valley.

The Pilot is made up of two appointees from each municipality and interested parties from the region. A membership list is included in this document. The Valley Regional Planning Agency in Derby provides administrative services. Down To Earth, LLC provides strategic and technical advice.

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Municipal Representatives:

Ansonia: Karen Spargo, Linda Gentile
Beacon Falls: Edward Jurzynski, Eve Melninkaitis
Derby: Mayor Marc Garofalo, Richard Dunne
Naugatuck: Mayor Joan Taf, Jim Goggin
Seymour: First Selectman Scott Barton, Michael Driscoll
Shelton: Fred Musante, James Ryan
Thomaston: Samuel Barto, Arthur French
Waterbury: Kathy Awaad, Dr. Dada Jabbour
Watertown: Charles O'Connor, Mary Greene

Community Members:

Elaine LaBella, Housatonic Valley Assoc.
Tim Carr, Geo Design, Inc.
Del Cummings, Naugatuck Valley Community Technical College
Albin Weber, Trout Unlimited
Lisa Kolodziej, Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce
Bill Purcell, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce
Ronald Skurat, VRPA,
Laurel Stegina, Central Naugatuck Valley COG
Sheila O'Malley, Office of Congressman James Maloney
Dan Sahl, Naugatuck Valley Development Corporation

Associate Member:

Naugatuck Valley Project: John Humphries, Roger Taylor

Staff: Richard Eigen, Executive Director VRPA; Arthur Bogen, President Down To Earth, LLC

Federal Environmental Protection Agency Advisor: James Byrne, Region I, New England Revolving Loan Fund Advisor: Lynne Jennings, Region I, EPA New England

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DUES: Each municipality contributes $800 per year. This income provides for

• staff and supplies to conduct Executive Committee and Steering Committee meetings

• monthly reports of project and budget activity

• quarterly EPA reports preliminary site research

• community outreach

• development of educational programs

• liaison for developer and community inquiries

FEES: Each community pays fees equal to 10% of the value of an assessment grant. These fees pay for the staff and supplies to:

• issue the request for proposal advertisement

• conduct public question and answer sessions

• prepare of a comparative bid matrix

• conduct a meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee

• conduct interviews of candidates

• advise on scope of work and contract definitions

• serve as liaison to regulatory agencies

• respond to community and press inquiries

GRANTS and Other Income: Pilot staff has drafted successful applications for additional resources. These include the following:

• original EPA grant to establish the Pilot , $90,000

• supplemental EPA grant to expand and continue Pilot activities, $110,000

• Community Foundation of Greater New Haven for outreach and education, $50,000

• Community Foundation of Greater New Haven for regional economic redevelopment of Brownfields sites and an application for a Revolving Loan Fund, $50,000

• EPA Showcase grant to develop inter-Pilot regional assessment protocols

• Matthies Foundation to institute best management practices for non-point pollution at Seymour and Pilot Brownfield sites in Partnership with the UCONN NEMO Project, $15,000

• Revolving Loan Fund, Danbury. The Pilot will receive management fees for developing and administering the $500,000 Danbury Revolving Loan Fund

• Revolving Loan Fund, Pilot. The Pilot anticipates fees for loans to be provided for cleanup.

• Derby Revitalization District - The City is paying the Pilot to manage the environmental assessment of the Downtown Revitalization District, $14,800

Pilot staff is preparing an application for a $200,000 Jobs Training grant in partnership with the Naugatuck Valley Project, TEAM Inc., the Workplace Inc., and several corporate partners.

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The Pilot has in excess of $125,000 on hand available for site assessments.
The Pilot will receive $350,000 for site cleanup through the Revolving Loan Fund.
The Pilot will receive $15,000 for instituting non-point source pollution best management practices on sites receiving assessment grants

SERVICES:

1. Site assessment grants

2. Clean up loans

3. Brownfields site evaluations at no direct charge

4. Consultation on tax foreclosure environmental considerations

5. Low cost site assessment management

6. Community outreach and educational seminars: Non-point source pollution reduction, developer requirements, site reuse insurance options

7. Regulatory interface and coordination

8. Information on and access to CT Department of Environmental Protection, CT Department of Economic and Community Development, US Department of Housing and Urban Development related Brownfields programs

9. Links to developers

10. Anti-blight management assistance on abandoned sites

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PILOT PROJECTS:

1. Ansonia - Haddad Park. Pilot provided assessment funds and management of the soil sampling of this site which was converted to use as a park. Provided $850.

2. Ansonia - Incinerator Assessment. Pilot is managing the extended Phase II investigation of the site to determine demolition and reuse consideration for the intended construction of a new transfer station. Provided $15,500.

3. Ansonia - 74 Grove St. Pilot has issued an RFP for a Phase I and II site assessment of this abandoned residential site. Proposed reuse for new residential construction generating new taxes. Budgeted up to $15,000.

4. Beacon Falls - Nutmeg Bakery. Provided consultation on environmental matters, foreclosure negotiations and repayment of back taxes. Helped recovery of $500,000

5. Derby - O'Sullivan's Island Initial Investigation. The Pilot conducted an initial assessment of this site where buried drums of industrial waste were discovered and removed in 1984. Contamination was found. Provided $18,799

6. Derby O'Sullivan's Island Secondary Investigation. Staff is helping the City respond to the contaminated conditions. Staff is also serving as the interface with the EPA assigned contractors who are performing the extended site assessment. Staff developed a proposal for an experimental phytoremediation project that has received preliminary EPA grant funding.

7. Derby Downtown Revitalization District. Staff coordinated the development of the environmental assessment scope of work and the selection of the contractor now performing Phase I, II and II assessments. Staff has conducted a walking tour of the area and participated in community and developer informational meetings.

8. Naugatuck Parcel B. The Pilot has recommended a contractor to the Borough to conduct the combined Phase I and II investigation of this 11.3-acre site in the downtown business district. Access questions are being resolved. Allocated $15,000

9. Seymour - Silvermine Landfill. The Pilot helped negotiate the terms of an option to develop this 10.3-acre former municipal landfill. Staff coordinated the assessment with DEP and arranged for the financing through EPA. Allocated $60,000

10. Shelton - Axton Cross. The Pilot has released an RFP to perform an expanded assessment of the soil and ground water conditions of this site that is part of the downtown redevelopment project. Allocated $15,000

11. Shelton - Ten Phase I studies. This will be a package of 10 sites in the downtown adjacent to the first redevelopment area. Allocation is $15,000.

12. Thomaston - Plume and Atwood. The Pilot assisted DECD in the review of site data. It coordinated the regulatory review of the terms and conditions of the Remedial Action Plan and assisted in the development of the conclusions.

13. Waterbury - Freight St. Corridor. Pilot staff worked with DEP and the City to define many of the issues in a comprehensive review of environmental matters in planning for reuse. $2,000,000 has been granted to expand the assessment.

14. Waterbury - Chase Brass. Pilot staff assisted the City in defining the issues leading up to an EPA decision to conduct an emergency removal at the site. The Pilot may offer assessment assistance for closure activities.

15. Waterbury - Bunker Hill Park. Pilot staff worked with the City, the owner, community groups and DEP to arrive at a resolution of the diverse issues. An environmental and health risk assessment is pending. Allocation is $15,000.

16. Watertown - Greenway Park. The Town engaged the Pilot to conduct an assessment of 3 acres intended for a Greenway trail. Allocation is for $8,500.

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• Derby - DOT Parcel. This is a 27-acre piece the City seeks to acquire for industrial development. Pilot staff is reviewing environmental data just received from the DOT.

• Seymour - New Police Facility. The Pilot has reserved an allocation for site assessment prior to the renovation of this former office building.

• Seymour - NEMO Project. The Pilot will initiate a program for non-point pollution management at a Brownfields site that receives assessment funding.

• Region wide. The Pilot is seeking a $200,000 Brownfields Job Training grant for 2001 to employ regional people in Pilot site cleanup projects.

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NAUGATUCK VALLEY BROWNFIELDS PILOT

Why is essential for all communities to belong and to participate?

JOBS - Pilot activities help create job opportunities at rejuvenated sites. Brownfields redevelopment at Derby and Naugatuck will provide a range of jobs. New construction also provides temporary work such as at the Haynes site in Seymour. Within a year several hundred new positions could be on line.

GROWTH of GRAND LIST - Many thousands of new taxes will be generated in each community when current projects are completed and contaminated properties are cleaned and returned to productive reuse.

EFFECT ON LOCAL BUSINESSES - Construction activities mean restaurants, gas stations and service providers will be patronized. New retail outlets will be drawn to the traffic created at reused sites. Overall property values will increase.

REVOLVING LOAN FUND - Each Pilot member has access to $350,000 of short term, low cost cleanup loans. The objective is to make no interest bridge loans to member municipalities and qualified individuals and companies. Expanded funds are possible after the successful implementation of the program.

REGIONAL LEVERAGE - The Valley communities have generated capital and expertise usually acquired only by larger cities. EPA and DEP have been very responsive to Pilot projects. Additional resources are more likely to be obtained for a continuing regional effort. Clean Water and HUD Brownfields Economic Development grants can be sought through the Pilot by any member.

The Pilot is a working example of regional cooperation and success. Brownfield resources are a vital part of the regional economic incentive package. The Assessment and Cleanup Funds support the state and local Enterprise Zones and tax incentives.

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