PROJECT BACKGROUND:

The seven-acre property was formerly used for residential and commercial purposes including an iron works, automobile

service facility, furniture warehouse, and produce distributor. Several of the lots were either vacant or occupied by

deteriorating structures. As a result of past activities, the property was contaminated with lead, arsenic, and other

hazardous substances. Due to the property’s accessible and central Providence location, Meeting Street, an acclaimed

educational innovator for students of all abilities, became interested in the subject property and received a Brownfields

Cleanup Grant from EPA in 2004 to address the contamination.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Leveraged nearly $27,000,000 from private and public sources.

• Successfully cleaned up lead, arsenic, and other hazardous substances and

removed two storage tanks.

• Leveraged 15 jobs for cleanup and redevelopment activities.

• Created a 76,000-square-foot, “green” building for 1,700 children and

their families, with three acres of greenspace available for community use.

OUTCOME:

Construction of the new facility began in June 2006 following cleanup of the property, which included addressing the

contaminants and removing the deteriorated buildings. On January 2, 2007, the 76,000-square-foot Meeting Street

National Center of Excellence opened to serve the educational and developmental needs of the community. Cleanup and

redevelopment activities were funded through a campaign program organized by Meeting Street that raised more than

$15 million from the private and public sectors. The new facility is expected to stimulate additional investment and

redevelopment in the area, and serve as a national model of education. It features a K-8 school that enrolls children of all

abilities; a high school for students with severe and profound disabilities; the Bright Futures Early Learning Center;

Meeting Street Early Intervention; outpatient Specialty Services; and The Children’s Network, a school-readiness program

for children from low-income Providence families. The building’s clinical facilities, gymnasium, therapeutic pool, and family

resource center are also available to the entire community. In addition, the new facility, which is applying for LEED

certification as a “green” building, has three acres of greenspace, which will include outdoor play areas and athletic fields

for use by both the school and the community.

Meeting Street – Believing in the Possibilities

brownfields at-a-glance

MEETING STREET NATIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Meeting Street, RI

Cleanup Grant

EPA-560-F-07-211

June 2007

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 1 at (617) 918-1111

ADDRESS: 1000 Eddy St., Providence, RI 02905

PROPERTY SIZE: 7 acres

FORMER USES: Iron works and automobile service facilities,

furniture warehouse, and produce distributor

CURRENT USES: Non-profit organization serving the educational and

developmental needs of children of all abilities

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS:

Meeting Street

received a $200,000

EPA Brownfields

Cleanup Grant

Rhode Island Health and Educational Building

Corporation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development, U.S. Health Resources and Services

Administration, City of Providence, various

private donors

For additional data and geographic

information for this and other

Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s:

Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/

html/bms/bms_query.html

Enviromapper -

www.epa.gov/enviro/bf

The Meeting Street National Center of Excellence.

Photo by Jennifer Kohanski