Senator Gillibrand urges EPA to provide funding for Ogdensburg's waterfront
Thursday, November 05, 2009, 5:33pm
OGDENSBURG -- U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says she is urging the Environment Protection Agency to provide federal funding from the brownfield program for the City of Ogdensburg, to be used to clean up the city’s waterfront area for redevelopment, specifically the former Standard Shade Roller property.
In her letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Gillibrand wrote, “The brownfields along Ogdensburg’s waterfront are currently preventing the development of valuable properties for increased use in the promotion of the region’s beauty for tourism purposes. This funding will allow the city to make critical investments into its land for economic development and environmental restoration.”
Ogdensburg has applied for two grants within the brownfield program, for a Cleanup Grant and a Revolving Loan Grant. The first will fund the cleanup of the Shade Roller factory. The site is contaminated by metal as well as volatile and semi-volatile compounds, including petroleum and hydrocarbons. The grant would include $127,500 to remove 1,100 tons of contaminated soil, $75,000 to identify and remove hazardous materials from on-site buildings, and $10,000 for ground water monitoring.
The second application will allow Ogdensburg to establish and capitalize on a revolving loan fund to make loans and provide sub-grants to landowners and developers to carry out brownfield cleanup activities.
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