Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com April 11, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 13 >> G R E E N B U S I N E S S state works with contracted licensed site professionals to oversee the cleanup of contaminated sites. This streamlines the process a bit, Locke said. "Because those were lower priority sites, DEP couldn't have enough staff so nothing could move ahead, including development of those properties," he said. MassDevelopment oversees the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund, established through the Act in 1998. The fund, which has $75 million, according to its 2015 annual report, has been recapitalized three times – in 2001, 2007, and 2014. Since its establishment, $89 million has been invested, including 93 projects totaling $10.3 million in Central Massachusetts. In fiscal 2015, $6.3 mil- lion was provided from the fund, down quite a bit from 2013, when the fund saw its most activity with $20 million invest- ed in 76 projects. Even with state funding, brownfield remediation has its hurdles: unexpected contamination can cause cleanup costs to rise, even after site assessments have been completed; and questions over who/what caused the issues can lead to disputes with previous landowners. WRTA's need for $4M In Worcester, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority is in the process of cleaning up a site at 42 Quinsigamond Ave., the future home of a new mainte- nance facility. Years of activity left cya- nide and coal tar sludge on-site. The site is the former home of a gas plant that operated there from the mid- 1800s until 1969, according to a letter from State Sen. Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury) and State Rep. Daniel M. Donahue (D-Worcester) to DEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. The WRTA first purchased the site in 2014 from Boston utility conglomerate Eversource Energy, and after both enti- ties completed assessments of the prop- erty, the total project costs were esti- mated to be $15 million. City officials and local leaders man- aged to successfully lobby the state to cover that total estimated project costs – through state payments that totalled $16.2 million – but as cleanup crews kept digging, more and more damage was discovered, including holding tanks possessing contaminated petroleum soils and asbestos. That discovery led to a need for an additional $4 million to remove toxic soil from the site, said Jonathan Church, administrator of the WRTA. Michael Durand, a spokesman for Eversource, said the WRTA completed its own assessment of the property before they bought it. "We were open and upfront with WRTA about the property's history. When we and DEP met with them, we provided all associated files to WRTA prior to the acquisition of the property, and they also did their own site testing for their due diligence," he said. However, Church said once the WRTA got on the ground, it was clear it was going to cost a lot more than that. Sen. Moore said he has been working with the state to get additional funding for the project. "If we're going to be utilizing this site as a place for people to be utilizing, I don't think it's safe or proper for the state or the city to have any sort of environmental hazards exposed to the public," he said. Although additional funding isn't yet official, Church said the project should remain on track. He said he feels confi- dent that the WRTA will receive the money it needs. "We're working with MassDOT Rail and Transit [Division] to secure a con- tract. Hopefully we'll be securing it sooner rather than later," he said. n Part of the redevelopment of Gardner 's Mill Street Corridor includes this solar array. GREEN SOLUTIONS… ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For 50 years, our clients have trusted us to provide sustainable, more efficient, greener facilities. We are experts in: Energy Systems and Incentives Building Automation Technologies Sustainable Design and Operation 196 6-2016 196 6-2016 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES Thank You! anks to our collaborative partners, Caring Associates and valued customers for making this honor possible Winner 2016 Manufacturing Awards Collaboration in Manufacturing We couldn't have done it without you! Columbia Tech A Coghlin Company

• Cover