Environment DEC
From the March 2006 issue
More than $425,000 Earmarked for Brownfield Projects in Oneida County
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan announced nearly $429,000 in Environmental Restoration Program grants for the City of Rome, Oneida County, to begin the process of cleaning up and redeveloping four brownfield sites. Commissioner Sheehan said, "Under the leadership of Governor Pataki, the brownfield program has been expanded and reformed, making projects like these easier and more cost effective to complete and enabling redevelopment of formerly contaminated sites in communities from Rome to New York City. With these grants, both the City of Rome and the state reaffirm our commitment to economic development, environmental restoration, and improving the quality of life."
Pictured left to right: Rome Mayor James Brown, Assemblywoman Roann M. Destito, DEC Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan, Senator Raymond Meier, Oneida County Executive Joseph Griffo and Executive Director of the Rome Industrial Development Corporation Mark Kaucher
The grants are funded under the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. The City of Rome will use the grants to investigate the nature and scope of contamination at the four sites and then develop effective cleanup plans for each parcel. Rome recently acquired the properties and plans to redevelop them for mixed industrial, commercial and residential use in accordance with the city master plan. After the investigations are completed, a determination will be made on the cleanup activities needed to make the sites safe for reuse.
Project Locations and Histories
The grants announced are for the following properties:
- $254,970 for the investigation of environmental contamination on 2.1 acres at 1333 East Dominick Street. The site, currently used as a saw mill facility, had previously been a gasoline filling station with underground storage tanks.
- $54,156 for the investigation of environmental contamination on 0.88 acre at 1030 East Dominick Street. A single building on the property is currently used as an auto repair shop. Previously, the site was used as a gasoline filling station, which may have contributed to site contamination.
- $54,156 for the investigation of environmental contamination on 0.5 acre with a single abandoned building at 1201 East Dominick Street. Historical operations at this site that may have contributed to its contamination include its former use as a gasoline filling station with associated underground storage tanks and recent use as an automotive sales and service business.
An abandoned textile mill will
undergo investigation to
determine the level of
contamination at the site
- $65,262 for the investigation of environmental contamination on 13,700 square feet of property at 508 West Liberty Street. The site has an abandoned three-story brick building that was once a textile mill. An attached single-story portion on the north side also was home to an auto service and machine shop.
The investigation of all four sites will include geophysical survey work to confirm the presence of underground tanks and fuel lines and to identify utilities and drains. An inspection of the property and any existing buildings also will be conducted, including monitoring of the groundwater and sampling of soils around the site.
Bond Act and Brownfields
To date, more than $77 million in Bond Act funding for brownfields has been committed, funding 155 investigation projects and 30 remediation projects. Additional applications are under review by DEC and more grants are expected to be awarded in the near future.
