PBN INNOVATIVE COMPANIES 2020 INNOVATIVE COLLABORATION
Textron Inc.
IN JUNE 2019, when Mashapaug Park officially opened as a recreation spot in Providence’s Reservoir Triangle neighborhood, the moment marked the first time in almost 200 years that the land was safe for public use.
Now, the roughly 10-acre park features a walking trail and often functions as an outdoor science classroom for nearby Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School.
That’s a result of years of extensive cleanup work by Textron Inc. and a collaboration with city officials to resurrect a site saturated with contaminants by Gorham Manufacturing Co., founded in 1831 to produce silver goods.
Textron purchased Gorham Manufacturing in 1967, operating the business for nearly 20 years on its original site. A new owner purchased Gorham Manufacturing from Textron in 1985 and moved operations away, but lingering byproducts such as chlorinated solvents, silver and lead rendered Mashapaug Pond and the surrounding area unusable.
Although the land was sold off to a handful of real estate developers, the city of Providence eventually assumed control of the property and informed Textron that it was legally obligated to clean up the site, said Greg Simpson, Textron’s director of environmental remediation and sustainability.
A series of discussions between company heads resulted in a decision. Textron would exceed minimum cleanup requirements to make the site suitable for public use.
“We understood that [residents’] desire was not to have a site that you just put a fence around,” said Jamieson Schiff, Textron’s executive counsel. “We wanted something the community could use.”
To that end, Textron blanketed the area with tough fabric, covering it with a 2-foot-thick, clean soil cap. With the soil phase complete, the company plans to continue to monitor impacts from decades of pollution.
“We have an active groundwater recovery system … that’s going to be a long-continuing effort,” Simpson said.
