Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101) Quick Reference Fact Sheet

United States

Environmental

Protection Agency

Washington, D.C. 20460

Solid Waste

and Emergency

Response (5101)

Worcester, MA

Brownfields Assessment

Demonstration Pilot

EPA 500-F-99-024

March 1999

www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Date of Announcement:

March 1999

Amount: $161,500

Profile: The Pilot targets a 10-

acre strip of four former industrial

properties in the heart of the

Main South neighborhood.

PILOT SNAPSHOT

Contacts:

EPA’s Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other

stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and

sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and

an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment

Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of

brownfields solutions. The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, States, Tribes, municipalities, and communities with

useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site

assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.

Worcester, Massachusetts

BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the City of Worcester for a

Brownfields Pilot. Worcester's Main South

neighborhood is one of the poorest and most ethnically

diverse areas in the city, with 11,000 residents living

in its one-square-mile area. More than 25 percent of

the neighborhood residents live at or near the poverty

level, and unemployment rates are twice the national

average. The neighborhood, and the city itself,

thrived until the 1950s, when many local

manufacturers abandoned Worcester for other parts

of the country. Preliminary assessments on the Pilottargeted properties indicate contamination resulting

from past uses as foundries and wire-fabrication

facilities.

In an attempt to reverse this decline, Clark University

in 1996 partnered with the Main South Community

Development Corporation (CDC) to restore a 100-

acre area within the Main South neighborhood,

encompassing the university's campus. Their efforts

led to a spin-off project also involving the Main

South CDC and Clark University, as well as the Boys

& Girls Club of Central Massachusetts and the City

of Worcester, to restore a six-block, 30-acre area

within the Main South neighborhood. Critical to the

success of this spin-off effort—known as the GardnerKilby-Hammond (GKH) Street Neighborhood

Revitalization Project—is an "L"-shaped, 10-acre

Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:

http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,

additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and

publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:

http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

City of Worcester

Office of Planning and

Community Development

(508) 752-6161

Regional Brownfields Team

U.S. EPA - Region 1

(617) 918-1209
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Worcester, Massachusetts

March 1999 EPA 500-F-99-024

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;

therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.

strip of four former industrial properties, which will be

the focus of the Pilot.

OBJECTIVES

The Pilot's objective is to complement and expedite

the GKH project by performing site assessments and

developing cleanup strategies for the targeted 10-

acre strip. The Pilot will also assist the Main South

CDC in coordinating community outreach efforts and

developing risk assessments. As part of the GKH

project, Pilot activities will eventually contribute to a

new Boys & Girls Club facility; shared athletic fields

available for community use; owner-occupied housing;

and affordable rental housing to be managed by the

Main South CDC.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting Phase II environmental assessments

and risk assessments on properties within the target

area;

• Selecting cleanup alternatives and designing cleanup

plans; and

• Conducting community outreach regarding the

project.