Jul 20, 2007
For Small Cities program
Grant for Redding lagoon remediation heads to a new public hearing
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by SUSAN WOLF
pilot@thereddingpilot.com
The town must go through a “do over” on a grant application through the federal Small Cities program to help cover the cost of remediating the lagoon site at 15 Main St. The lagoon is on the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill site off Route 107.
Although the town conducted a public hearing on the application in 2005 in compliance with the grant program, it must now conduct another public hearing. The hearing is set for Thursday, Aug. 9, at town hall at 7:30 p.m.
First Selectman Natalie Ketcham said the town had the public hearing in 2005 “on two opportunities” for the Small Cities Block Grant program, which is administered through the state Department of Economic Development.
The grants are aimed at the cleanup of the former mill site, which is being redeveloped into a pedestrian-friendly village. A mix of uses, including residential and commercial, are planned at the site.
The first grant of $600,000 was awarded by the state for the demolition and cleanup of three buildings on the old wire mill property. The town of Redding is partnering with the Georgetown Land Development Co. to revitalize the former wire mill industrial site, a brownfield.
That work was done earlier this year, so the town is now eligible to apply for the second grant. However, because two years have passed, the process has changed at the state level, Ms. Ketcham said, so another hearing is required.
Because of the time lapse, the grant amount will now be $775,000 instead of $600,000, to take into account inflation and assorted fees, according to the first selectman. No town funds are involved, Ms. Ketcham said.
The lagoon site is owned by Georgetown Redevelopment Corp., a nonprofit corporation. GRC and Georgetown Land Development Co. are co-developers of the 55-acre former mill site. GLDC owns all of the land at the site north of Route 107; GRC owns the lagoon site.
The remediation plan for the site is to cap the metal-impacted soil with appropriate monitoring and institutional controls. GRC has a $200,000 federal Environmental Protection Agency grant through its Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program, in addition to a $100,000 Targeted Brownfields Assessment Grant from the EPA. The corporation also has cash it received when it took title to the property. The remainder to remediate the site and cover the grant administration fees would come from the proposed grant.
At the Aug. 9 hearing, Larry Wagner of Wagner Associates, a company that works with municipalities in the state to access public funds for projects, will be available to provide information.
If there is no opposition to the grant application at the hearing, said Ms. Ketcham, the selectmen would pass a resolution at their August meeting to authorize her to proceed with the application process.
At Monday’s meeting, the selectmen approved a fair housing resolution and a fair housing statement as required by the grant process.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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