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EPA Awards $100,000 Targeted Brownfields Assessment to Hopedale, MA

Release Date: 11/17/2003
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, EPA Community Involvement Office, 617-918-1064

BOSTON- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that it is awarding a Targeted Brownfields Assessment grant of services valued at $100,000 to the town of Hopedale to assess the former Draper Landfill site for potential cleanup and reuse. EPA will assess environmental contamination at the site to determine if it can be used for athletic fields and other recreation uses.

"The town is doing a great job in identifying potential sites for redevelopment, and in this case one that can be reused for recreational purposes," said Robert W. Varney, EPA regional administrator. "EPA's Smart Growth agenda supports local efforts to redevelop parcels that have been used before rather than seeking out virgin green spaces elsewhere in the community. The site assessment we're awarding today is an important step in that process and will give Hopedale officials the information they need to move forward with their project."

Under EPA's Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program, EPA hires a contractor for the town to perform site assessments, to develop cleanup options and cost estimates, and to ensure the community has access to the findings.

Across the country, EPA estimates there are hundreds of thousands of Brownfields - properties that are abandoned or underdeveloped because of contamination or fear of contamination. EPA has awarded nearly $74 million in Brownfields grants, $4.6 million in Targeted Brownfield Assessment grants, across New England. Massachusetts communities have received a total of $30.5 million. Across New England, these grants have led to 640 completed site assessments, $300 million in leveraged funds for redevelopment and over 2,000 jobs created.