SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $3 MILLION FOR FULTON & GREENE COUNTY TO JUMPSTART CLEAN UP OF DOZENS OF CONTAMINATED EYE SORES AND BROWNFIELDS ACROSS REGION - CREATING GOOD PAYING JOBS, NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Schumer Says New Fed $$ For Fulton & Greene County, And City Of Gloversville, Will Help Clean Up & Transform Eyesores And Blighted Properties Like Abandoned Tanneries, The Former Decca Records Site, And Other Fallow Brownfields Into Sites For Productive Use, Helping To Take The Burden Of Polluted Properties Off Local Taxpayer
Schumer: This Funding Is Part Of $18+ Million for Brownfield Sites Across NY & Will Improve Public Health & Safety Of Communities By Revitalizing Hazardous Sites While Creating New Development & Job Opportunities
Schumer: Cleanup And Reuse Of These Community Eyesores For Fulton & Greene County Begins Today!
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $3 million in federal Brownfields funding through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Fulton and Greene County communities to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties . This includes $1,000,000 for the City of Gloversville, $1,500,000 for Greene County and $500,000 for the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth. Schumer said this funding will be used to help cleanup eyesores that have long plagued the area like vacant industrial sites including abandoned tanneries, vinyl records manufacturer, and other industrial sites, revitalizing these areas for new development and economic opportunities.
“From Gloversville to Tannersville, the Capital Region has had too many toxic eyesores and contaminated sites from our industrial past that drive down property values and put public health at risk. But now thanks to this major $3 million federal investment, supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law I championed, we can accelerate the cleanup and reuse of contaminated eyesores in Fulton and Greene County, making our communities healthier and cleaner, all while creating good-paying jobs and new development opportunities that enhance local tax rolls,” said Senator Schumer. “The Brownfields program has had tremendous success in transforming sites like these into areas of new growth and will supercharge cleanup and redevelopment efforts at lots across Upstate NY. I am proud to deliver this federal investment to revitalize our communities and will always fight for a brighter and cleaner future for the Capital Region.”
Schumer explained the City of Gloversville plans to use its $1 million in funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to conduct five Phase I and four Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop seven cleanup plans, clean up the former Decca Records site located at 80 Lincoln Street, and support community engagement activities. The target area for this grant is the 922-acre Gloversville Brownfield Opportunity Area, which lies within the city’s former industrial center. The 2-acre cleanup site was formerly used as a tannery and a vinyl record and toy manufacturer from the late 1880s until 2002. It is currently used to store vehicles and waste oil and is contaminated with metals and inorganic materials. Other priority sites in the target area include six former tanneries ranging from 1.7 to 13 acres and a 10-acre former railroad yard.
Similarly, the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth will conduct seven Phase I and five Phase II environmental site assessments. The target area for this grant is the Village of Northville, the Town of Oppenheim, and the City of Johnstown. Priority sites include a 0.4-acre former glove manufacturing site, a 1.8-acre vacant site that formerly housed a tannery and a dry cleaner, a 13-acre former machine shop and tannery, and a 4-acre former leather products manufacturer.
In Greene County funds will be used to inventory sites and conduct 28 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop six cleanup plans, one resource roadmap, and two area-wide plans, and to support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on the Villages of Catskill and Tannersville, and the City of Hudson. Priority sites include a 1.2-acre vacant lot that formerly housed a bricklaying facility and a knitting mill, a 9.5-acre former fuel storage site, a 0.68-acre site that housed a fuel terminal and was demolished in the 1970s, a 4-acre
former industrial site, a 1-acre lot used for a vehicle maintenance garage, and a 0.4-acre site used for automobile repair from 1938 until the early 2000s.
The EPA’s Brownfields Program today announced that 178 communities are selected to receive funding through our competitive Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Programs. In total, 13 communities across New York are expected to receive over $18 million in funding to combat brownfields. The Agency also announced non-competitive supplemental funding to several existing RLF grant recipients who already achieved success in their work to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. RLF Grants provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites.
Schumer’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included billions of dollars in funding to remediate contamination of sites throughout Upstate New York. This funding includes $1.2 billion for the Brownfields competitive grants and $300 million for Brownfields categorical grants to support the development of and progress being made under state-led Brownfields efforts. This investment in EPA’s Brownfields Program aims to spur revitalization in communities large and small, urban and rural to keep their areas healthy and sustainable.
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