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Eight Communities to Share $1 Million in First-In-State Above Ground Asbestos/Lead Remediation Grants
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May 16, 2007 Contact: Adam Bickelman, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2086 MassDevelopment today announced that eight redevelopment projects in communities across the state will split $1 million in one-time grants for asbestos and lead paint remediation work above ground. In June 2006, as part of the $30 million Brownfields Redevelopment Fund (BRF) recapitalization, the legislature authorized MassDevelopment to create a pilot program to determine the need, cost and effectiveness of providing funds for above ground removal of asbestos and lead paint. Currently, the remediation of asbestos and lead paint contamination in buildings does not qualify for financing through the BRF. Applicants were eligible for up to $350,000 per project. "Since its creation, the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund has played a critical role in removing in-soil contamination at brownfields sites statewide," said Robert L. Culver, MassDevelopment president/CEO. "These sites are often in downtown business districts near employment centers and transportation hubs. This new pilot program is an important step in determining whether the Commonwealth can play an even greater role in spurring economic growth by financing asbestos and lead removal in existing, and in many cases, historic facilities." Grant recipients by community and project name are: Boston – Blessed Sacrament Campus, $86,000 Developer: Church Square Community Partners, LLC/Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation Project Description: Former Blessed Sacrament Parish will become 119 units of mixed-income housing, neighborhood retail and green space. Project Contact: Lizbet Heyer, 617-522-2424 x227 Fitchburg – H.M. Francis Commercial Bank Building, $130,000 Developer: Twin Cities Development Corporation Project Description: 66,525-square-foot building will become a mix of 31 affordable and market rate apartments with ground-level retail/commercial space. Project Contact: Marianne Graham, 978-342-9561 x13 Haverhill – Hayes Building, $130,000 Developer: POUA Holdings, LLC Project Description: 38,800-square-foot building will become a mix of 57 affordable and market rate apartments with ground level retail/commercial space. Project Contact: Bill Grogan, 617-350-8885 Lawrence – 211A–219 Farnham Street, $14,000 Developer: Lawrence Community Works Project Description: Four deteriorated houses will become renovated affordable units for 11 families. Project Contact: T. Luke Young, 978-685-3115 x33 North Adams – Clark Biscuit Apartments, $120,000 Developer: Arch Street Development, LLC Project Description: 25,000-square foot building will become 43 units of affordable housing. Project Contact: Colin O’Keeffe, 339-933-0777 Orange – West Putnam Hall, $50,000 Developer: Town of Orange/Franklin Regional Council of Governments Project Description: 22,000-square-foot building will become retail, gallery and office space. Project Contact: Richard Kwiatkowski, 978-544-1100 x107 Taunton – F.B. Rogers – River Lofts, $120,000 Developer: City of Taunton/Office of Economic & Community Development Project Description: 53,000-square-foot former Weir Stone Company building will become 44 affordable and market rate condominiums, parking and green space. Project Contact: Kevin J. Shea, 508-821-1033 Worcester – Loom Works Building, $350,000 Developer: Main South CDC Project Description: 125,000-square-foot building will become 109 affordable and market rate loft-style condominiums as part of Worcester’s Gardner Hammond neighborhood revitalization effort. Project Contact: J. Stephen Teasdale, 508-752-6181 In February 2007, MassDevelopment published a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the pilot program, and distributed it widely to reach potential applicants, including all municipalities eligible as Economic Development Areas. By the March 30 submission deadline, 35 applicants responded requesting more than $8 million in funding. MassDevelopment staff and members of the Brownfields Advisory Group then reviewed each application and convened to choose the grant recipients. Selection criteria included a preference for mill buildings and downtown row block developments. MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development authority, works with businesses, financial institutions and local officials to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. Between FY2004 and FY2006, MassDevelopment financed or managed 589 projects statewide representing an investment of more than $4 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are supporting the creation of 5,505 housing units and more than 23,000 jobs: 12,381 permanent and 10,679 construction-related.
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