PROVIDENCE – Three communities in Rhode Island – Woonsocket, Providence and Central Falls – have received a combined $925,000 for brownfield site redevelopment, the state congressional delegation announced on Wednesday.
“Here’s an example of why the EPA is important to everyday Rhode Islanders. Brownfield funding helps transform blighted property, creates jobs and paves the way for future economic development,” said Sen. Jack F. Reed in a statement.
Brownfields are industrial properties for which redevelopment, expansion or reuse is complicated by a hazardous substance, contaminant or pollutant.
The largest of the three grants was given to Artech Hub LLC, which received $400,000 to clean up lot 371 and 387 at 68 South Main St. in Woonsocket, the site of the former Woonsocket Rubber Mill Co. The site has been vacant since 2014 and is contaminated by chemicals that pose a danger to human health.
Providence received $200,000 to help communities in the city clear multiple brownfields as part of the EPA’s Area-Wide Planning Program, which targets locations with a high density of brownfield sites. The money will be used to plan a wide-scale strategy to assess, clean up and reuse properties in the city.
The Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corp. received $200,000 in grants to clean up the former Island Machine Co. Mill at 15 Island Place in Woonsocket. The site is also contaminated with materials hazardous to human health.
In Central Falls, $125,000 was given to The Blackstone Valley Community Health Center in technical assistance funds to better understand the technical issues related to brownfield cleanup and to learn about important factors when planning a re-use project for a brownfield site.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
