Environment DEC
From the June 2005 issue
Governor Announces Brownfield Grants for City of Albany
The City of Albany plans to redevelop this site into a park that will serve the Arbor Hill Community
Governor George E. Pataki recently announced two grants totaling more than $565,000 have been awarded to the City of Albany and the Albany Community Development Agency for the testing, study and investigation of several brownfield properties in the Arbor Hill section of the city. The grants are being funded through the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act's Environmental Restoration Program (ERP).
"First Steps Toward Redeveloping..."
"This is an important and long-awaited day for the community of Arbor Hill," Governor Pataki said. "With this funding, Mayor Jennings and the city and community will take the first steps toward redeveloping these properties into a vibrant gateway to the neighborhood, complete with new retail and commercial businesses and a memorial park honoring one of our region's most famous soldiers, Henry Johnson. I'm proud that these grants will help the city and the residents of Arbor Hill in their efforts to revitalize and redevelop these critical properties," Governor Pataki added.
Funding through this program will go toward determining the extent of the contamination
The grants will help the City of Albany and its Albany Community Development Agency investigate the nature and extent of contamination at both the Arbor Hill Gateway properties, located on the west side of Henry Johnson Boulevard, and the Henry Johnson Boulevard properties, located on the east side of Henry Johnson Boulevard. The state has awarded the city $316,350 for investigation of the Arbor Hill Gateway properties and $248,850 for investigation of the Henry Johnson Boulevard properties.
"Putting the 'Arbor' Back in Arbor Hill..."
Aaron Mair, president and founder of the Arbor Hill Environmental Justice Corporation and the W. Haywood Burns Environmental Education Center said, "The W. Haywood Burns Environmental Education Center is thrilled to be a part of this wonderful occasion. We have worked collaboratively over the past 10 years with the state and city to identify and restore the environmental beauty of Arbor Hill and other inner-city communities. We look forward to working in collaboration with Governor Pataki and Mayor Jennings in putting the 'Arbor' back in Arbor Hill."
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan said, "This significant funding will help support the Arbor Hill community and bring important environmental and economic revitalization to the area. These grants will further protect the health of the neighborhood's residents, create new jobs, increase business opportunities, and help develop a recreational park that will offer the area's residents a beautiful, green retreat from urban life."
Arbor Hill Gateway
A rendering of the proposed Arbor Hill Gateway Park
The Arbor Hill Gateway properties were acquired by the Albany Community Development Agency over a number of years to facilitate their redevelopment. The city plans to redevelop the properties into a neighborhood memorial park that will include a monument to honor WWI veteran Henry Johnson.
The funding will be used to investigate the extent of petroleum compounds in the ground associated with the former Forlani's Garage and to excavate underground storage tanks and soil from the property to facilitate redevelopment of the site as a memorial park.
In the past, the properties were investigated for contamination by both the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the City of Albany. Those limited site investigations, which included surface and subsurface soil and groundwater sampling and analysis, determined that soils and groundwater have been contaminated by gasoline petroleum products and metals.
Henry Johnson Boulevard
The Henry Johnson Boulevard properties, which consist of 14 individual parcels between Clinton Avenue and Second Street, were acquired by the city to facilitate their redevelopment as mixed-use commercial/retail businesses, and to support long-term plans for a proposed veterans museum on the site. The properties are currently vacant. A vehicle repair facility and gas station was once housed on one of the properties. It is believed that operations at this property may have contributed to contamination at the site.
The Henry Johnson Boulevard properties were also the subject of a limited investigation by EPA and the city in the past. Those limited site investigations determined that the soils and groundwater have been contaminated by gasoline petroleum products, solvents and metals.
With the announced grants, the city can further characterize and delineate the contamination both on and near the sites and complete the investigation process. This will allow for creation of proposed cleanup plans to remove the contamination found on all of the properties. The city, under the guidance of DEC, will perform interim remedial measures as needed during the investigation process.
The City of Albany is eligible for state assistance through the ERP because it is not responsible for having caused the contamination. The grants provide 90 percent of the eligible costs of the investigation.
