City Already Dealing With Brownfields

At their monthly meeting Monday night, the city's Economic Development Committee heard a final plan to deal with some of the city's brownfields-- a plan already being put into action.

The report, done by the firm of Milone & MacBroom, was funded by a $400,000 grant from the EPA. Clusters of "brownfields"-- vacant industrial sites with probable pollution problems -- were identified in the North End and just south of downtown. Among the plan's recommendations were acquiring properties in the North End and developing them for needed parking. The city has already begun this project, acquiring property behind Eli Cannon's Tap Room, formerly home to Mid-State Auto Body.

City planner Bill Warner said just doing contamination testing (also with EPA funds) made the properties more likely to be developed, as testing is so expensive. "We're way ahead of most cities regarding this. Other cities are filled with these brownfields, they don't turn around," he said.

Richard Harral, of Milone & MacBroom, said "This is the first time a city has implemented some of the recommendations before the final report is even presented", complimenting the city and its staff for moving so quickly.

The committee also voted unanimously to extend the lease on a community garden run by Middletown United Fathers. The garden is located on Long Lane and the current three-year lease has just one year left on it.

Larry Owens told the committee his group wants to hold classes, develop a walking path with native plants, and implement other plans. Many of those plans are contingent on partnerships with merchants and other community organizations. But those partners would be more comfortable knowing the lease would not soon run out, according to Owens, who is studying at UConn to become a master gardener. The committee voted to extend the lease to five years. City planner Bill Warner noted that the group had "cleaned up the property nicely".

Remington Rand Brownfield Cleanup to get EPA Funds

Governor Rell announced today that the City will receive $200,000 to help the city remediate environmental contamination at the Remington Rand site on Johnson Street. The funding is part of stimulus package dollars disbursed through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The state applied for $2.3M on May 1st, including $300,000 for Remington Rand, and was awarded a total of $600,000 in August. The State Department of Economic and Community Development selected the Remington Rand site, as well as a site in Montville and a site in Willimantic, for funding.

Almost all of the environmental contamination at Remington Rand is the legal responsibility of the Unisys Corporation, which bought Remington Rand. A remedial action plan submitted by Unisys to the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), with a total cost of $6M, was approved this summer, according to City Planner Bill Warner.

In their remediation plan, Unisys claimed and the DEP agreed, that a portion of the contamination occurred subsequent to 1974, when Remington Rand ceased to exist. Unisys estimates that this portion of the remediation will cost about $300,000. Rell, in a press release, said, "This latest funding will be used to actually do the environmental remediation that is needed at the former Remington Rand site." Warner said the City is also applying directly to the EPA for the additional funding.

Rell praised the conversion of a brownfield into land that can be used, "We are taking property that is not 'working' at its full potential and converting it into a community resource that reduces sprawl, preserves natural resources and creates economic opportunity for all."

The city hopes to sell the Remington Rand property to a private owner who would use it for a business. The city had a preliminary deal to sell the property for $1M in 2008, and the Common Council budgeted and spent the anticipated revenue in the 2008-09 fiscal year. Mayor Giuliano said that the deal fell through when the buyer became concerned about whether Unisys would follow through on its portion of the environmental remediation (Remington Rand Deal DOA?). Movement towards cleanup should make the city-owned property much more valuable.

Catherine Johnson in the Courant on the Army Reserve Training Center

On Sunday morning, in the Commentary section, the Hartford Courant published a piece by noted Middletown architect, city planning expert, Zoning Board commissioner and candidate for the state legislature, Catherine Johnson, on the proposed Army Reserve Training Center.