Environment DEC
From the March 2006 issue
More than $1.5 Million Earmarked for Brownfields Redevelopment Across State
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan joined state and local officials, community groups and residents to announce nearly $1.7 million in Environmental Restoration Program grants for the investigation of contamination at seven brownfield sites across the state. This funding includes a $410,350 grant to the City of Mechanicville, Saratoga County, to investigate the Mechanicville Light Industrial Park. All seven grants are funded through New York State's Environmental Restoration Program (ERP), under the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act.
Pictured left to right: William Connors, City of Mechanicville Community Development Director; Thomas Higgins, Former Mechanicville Mayor; DEC Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan; Anthony Sylvester, Mechanicville Mayor; Assemblyman Roy J. McDonald; Harry Gutheil, Saratoga Chairman of the Board and Julia Stokes, Saratoga Preserving Nature and Land
In addition to the grant for the City of Mechanicville, the other grants include: $90,000 to the East Syracuse-Minoa Central School District in East Syracuse, Onondaga County; $151,850 to the Village of Camden, Oneida County; $358,245 to the City of Lockport, Niagara County; $76,500 to the City of Fulton, Oswego County; $478,650 to the Town of Warrensburg, Warren County, and $121,500 to Cattaraugus County.
"New York State has become a national leader in the effort to redevelop brownfield sites in our communities under the leadership of Governor Pataki," Commissioner Sheehan said. "With the landmark legislation signed into law in October 2003, we reaffirmed our commitment to seeing brownfields cleaned up and reestablished as valuable economic and environmental assets to their communities. I am proud of the progress that we have made and am pleased to see it continue with these sites. Today's grants are the first step toward their redevelopment from abandoned and underutilized parcels to clean properties where new businesses and our environment can thrive."
City of Mechanicville
This empty field will become a
useful parcel of land for
new businesses
The City of Mechanicville will investigate environmental contamination at the Mechanicville Light Industrial Park located on Industrial Park Road. The property consists of approximately 20 acres, most of which is covered by light vegetation and several vacant structures. It once was a former rail yard, where historic operations included engine repair and maintenance, along with the fueling of freight lines. The City of Mechanicville plans to redevelop the site as an industrial business park, which will bring new businesses and jobs to the area.
For descriptions of the other six grant projects, please use the link below to DEC's press releases. Additional applications are under review by DEC, and more grants are expected to be awarded in the near future.
