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MassDevelopment In The News
Town Markets Aztec Site
December 18, 2006: Worcester Telegram & Gazette, by Bradford L. Miner
NORTH BROOKFIELD — Some would look at the overgrown 5.9 acres at Grove and School streets and see only a vacant lot.
Not so for Selectman James J. Foyle, who is confident the former Asbestos Textile/Aztec Industries site that has been both a financial liability and an eyesore for the community represents a catalyst for future economic development.
With help from the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Foyle sees an opportunity to develop the site being called the North Brookfield Business Center and to breathe life into the downtown neighborhood.
Mr. Foyle said Friday that so far three potential developers have taken a look at the site where the asbestos manufacturing complex was razed and subsequently cleaned up with the removal of underground storage tanks and asbestos-contaminated soil.
"Anyone who is interested in what’s happening with the property and the project will find all of the latest information posted on the town’s Web site, www.northbrookfield.net," Mr. Foyle said.
He said the link from the Web site has a pertinent fact sheet for the property, which has a current estimated value of $480,000.
Because of grant money from the state agency, he said, the significant point for anyone interested in building on the site is that there would be no site preparation costs and no environmental liability.
"Remediation of this site is as simple as putting a building or buildings and a parking lot on it to cap any residual asbestos in the soil," the selectman said.
He said there was considerable interest in the site — one of five recently showcased by the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency at a Brownfields 2006 Conference at the Boston Convention Center.
Mr. Foyle said he recently met with Shyla Matthews, vice president of Business and Commercial Development for the agency, and Central Region staff of the DEP to determine if there were any new restrictions or constraints on the property.
"In fact, what we learned at that meeting is that DEP had loosened some of the asbestos restrictions, but none that were applicable to our situation. We did come away from that meeting, however, with the feeling that DEP was very familiar with our project and our goals and was very supportive," he said.
Mr. Foyle said a meeting with development agency staff has been planned for Dec. 20 to establish a marketing analysis of the property.
"That will give us guidelines to work with, guidelines that we can then hold up to the guidelines established by the Board of Selectmen as to the type of business we’d like to see develop the property," he said.
Mr. Foyle, one of three selectmen, said the board was interested in bringing a business to the Aztec site that was not only self-sustaining and a good fit, but one that would be beneficial in terms of creating jobs and additional opportunities.
"We see this as a chance to really make a difference in the downtown neighborhood," Mr. Foyle said.
He said any development proposal for the site would have to take into consideration the EPA and DEP’s requirements for site remediation and that, he said, means covering the acreage with a building or paved parking area.
With negligible site preparation costs, selectmen said they think that $480,000 for the 5.89 acres is quite reasonable.
Mr. Foyle said the town’s piece of the puzzle for the immediate neighborhood includes finding a new site for the town highway department and expanding the fire department into the buildings now used by the highway department.
"With interest among at least three developers, and the promise of assistance from MassDevelopment as a brownfields priority project, I think we’re poised on realizing the goals the town has had since these buildings were first razed and the site cleaned up. The goal is to restore this property to the tax rolls in a meaningful way," he said.
© Copyright 2006 Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
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