Town of Franklin Awarded $500,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant

Continued Environmental Assessment and Remediation Work at the Nu-Style Property to Unlock Opportunities for Redevelopment with $100,000 Contribution from the Town of Franklin.

The Town of Franklin has been awarded $500,000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Program. The funds will be used to complete remediation of soil and groundwater contamination at the town-owned former "Nu-Style Property" at 21 Grove St.; a critical step towards continued investment of the Grove St. corridor. 

The "Nu-Style Property" is one of several properties in a small mill complex that has a long manufacturing history (at least 90 years). Environmental contamination from previous owners, especially Nu-Style Company & Image Jewelry, was significant. Similar to other communities with brownfields sites, Franklin has struggled to obtain the resources needed to fully clean up the property to unlock redevelopment, as Federal and State grant funding programs are very competitive, and the cost of brownfields cleanup is costly.

Due to funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nationally, 262 communities were selected to receive over $215 million in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant Program. This represents the highest funding level ever announced in the history of the Brownfields Program. Even with this unprecedented level of funding, the Town of Franklin was one of only six Massachusetts communities awarded EPA Brownfields Cleanup funding in 2023.

"Through the bipartisan infrastructure law, Congress put politics aside to invest in our future. Children in Franklin will inherit cleaner water & cleaner soil as a result of this grant, and everyone will benefit from unlocking more economic development." said U.S. Congressman Auchincloss.

According to Bryan Taberner, the Town of Franklin's Director of Planning and Community Development, "The Town has worked for well over 15 years to assess the environmental contamination at the former industrial site, and clean it up for redevelopment."

The Town has committed $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support the project. Town Administrator Jamie Hellen notes, "By investing $600,000 in total funding towards remediation of the Nu-Style property, the town will enhance a more valuable asset, which will pave the way for additional economic development opportunities in town."

For more information on the EPA's Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

Shared from -> https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/franklin-awarded-500000-epa-brownfields-cleanup-grant

Franklin Awarded $500,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant