Lt. Gov. announces $1.1 million for brownfield clean up


(center) This map shows the area the 54-acre Indian Orchard Business Park encompasses. The city and state are working together to redevelop the area for new businesses. (above) Sue Craven-Soto, president of the Indian Orchard Citizens Council, noted that the redevelopment of the brownfield site on Pinevale Street ties in to Main Street's revitalization and the establishment of a river walk. "Things are starting to happen," she said. To her left is Lt. Gov. Tim Murray; to her right, Mayor Domenic Sarno, Chief Development Officer John Judge and members of the various groups supporting the project. Reminder Publications photo by Courtney Llewellyn

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor

INDIAN ORCHARD -- The lieutenant governor is happy to see a derelict building being demolished in Indian Orchard. He's said he's even happier to know of the environmental improvement, the growth of the city's tax base and the "jobs, jobs, jobs" that will be created by the brownfield clean up at the old Chapman Valve Warehouse.

The structures at 121 Pinevale St. were in the process of being razed to make way for the proposed Indian Orchard Business Park Project when Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Mayor Domenic Sarno and members of the Western Massachusetts Office of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, MassDevelopment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indian Orchard Citizens Council -- a veritable "alphabet soup," according to Sarno -- gathered to announce $1.1 million in state and federal funding for the project.

The Brownfields Support Team Initiative, a multi-agency pilot program, is leading the demolition of the property.

"I know it sounds strange to celebrate a demolition, but this is a step forward for the city," Murray told those gathered at the site. He noted that the Indian Orchard site is one of five throughout the Commonwealth that is being assisted by the Brownfields Support Team Initiative to remediate and redevelop land that has been contaminated.

Redevelopment of the site is complicated by the presence of metals, petroleum and PCBs in some areas of the soil and groundwater.

MassDevelopment recently approved $143,000 for site assessment, which the city's Chief Development Officer John Judge said would be used for environmental testing of the 54-acre site over the next six months.

A commitment of up to $200,000 came from the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection's EPA Coalition Grant, awarded in May 2009, and up to $900,000 in funding is coming from an EPA Revolving Loan Fund, through the PVPC, will be used for demolition and remediation at the site.

"These are toxic assets," Tim Brennan, director of the PVPC, said of the current site. "We've got to get rid of the toxic and keep the assets."

"I know it's not sexy, but it's an important thing to do," Sarno said of the brownfield remediation.

Murray commented that there is not a lack of interest for business growth in the state, nor is there a lack of interest from businesses wishing to move to Massachusetts -- there is only a lack of pad-ready sites.

"The only way to grow is to address our brownfield clean up," he stated. "It's both a challenge and an opportunity."

The Indian Orchard Business Park site was used for heavy manufacturing from the 1870s to the 1980s. The plan is to develop the site into a modern business complex with areas optimized for commercial and light industrial tenants.

"Over 1,000 residents of the Orchard were employed at Chapman Valve in the '30s and '40s," Sue Craven-Soto, president of the Citizens Council, said. "I want to see that again. We will redevelop this property to the best of our ability."

Comments From Our Readers:

truth422 9/16/2009 11:16:09 AM	John Judge broke a development contract in Boston in 2005. He was referred multiple times by Larry DiCara, Esquire. Then he quit after his first payday. He refused to answer his phone or demand letters sent to him. Now the family is losing their property after floundering. Do you sleep well at night, John? Springfield is not far enough away to hide from the truth.
truth422 9/16/2009 11:16:41 AM