Brownfields | CDBG | VISTA | Site Map | CEDO Home | City Home

City Partners with Regional Planning Commission on Browns Court Environmental Site Assessment

In May, the City announced its intent to redevelop the surface parking lot at Browns Court and King Street into mixed-income rental housing. The City is partnering with the Chittenden County Brownfields Initiative to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of this property, which once had an underground gasoline tank. The Chittenden County Brownfields Initiative is a program of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC), with funding from US EPA to study properties with petroleum contamination. CCRPC shares the City’s goals to increase housing options in downtown areas and to redevelop Brownfield sites. CCRPC has hired Heindel & Noyes, a Burlington-based environmental consulting firm, to conduct the Phase I study. The Phase I ESA will be completed early in the summer.

Gosse Court Armory

When the Gosse Court Armory was transferred to the City of Burlington in 2005, the city began a process of due diligence, gathering data on what the condition of the building was and what would be required for operations and maintenance over time. As part of this process, CEDO’s Brownfields Program commissioned a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the building and site. This assessment was completed by ATC Associates Inc., an environmental consulting firm, and was funded by the USEPA. The Vermont Army National Guard (VTANG) worked closely with the City, providing full access to files and maintenance records.

The results of the ESA are no surprise: as is typical of older buildings, lead paint and asbestos are the major issues. The vast majority of asbestos had already been removed from the building by the VTANG, all done with proper techniques and regulatory oversight. Lead paint is being managed accordingly as improvements are made on the building over time. No evidence of interior lead dust or human health hazards were found, with the exception of some residual lead dust in the firing range which is kept locked pending future renovations. An underground storage tank holding fuel oil for the building has been regularly tested and is in excellent shape.

The one issue of concern identified during the ESA process was an unvented fan at the rear of the firing range. Bullets fired in the range emitted lead dust as they struck the backplate, which can migrate through the air. Thus, the City, with EPA and Vermont DEC support, decided to expand the ESA to include exterior soils sampling near the fan’s outside vent. This sampling revealed elevated lead levels in the soils, the highest readings closest to the building. Lower levels were found fanning out from the vent, many beneath minimum limits. The impacted area was fenced off, and plans for abatement prepared by ATC Associates with EPA funding.

The VTANG and City came to an agreement whereby a reimbursement of $20,000 would be made to the City from the VTANG for costs associated with lead soils removal at the Armory. EPA Brownfields paid for consulting services for project supervision. A workplan was finalized, approved by Vermont DEC and EPA Quality Assurance.

ATC and the City worked to keep costs under control, while ensuring that all site work was performed thoroughly and without promoting the migration of lead dust. The wet weather created perfect conditions for excavating the soils, and the project went forward on time and within budget. Lead abatement of soils at the Gosse Court Armory was completed, and ATC Associates conducted pre- and post-removal testing verifying the success of this project.

After the impacted soils were removed, the site was restored with clean material. The topsoil area was mulched and seeded, and the site can now be fully utilized.

The City wishes to thank the VTANG Environmental Office for their commitment to working through these issues, and for ensuring that the resources were available for the lead abatement work to take place.

Burlington Receives $200,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant

In a press conference held on May 9, 2005, Gerald Patomis from USEPA Region One presented the Mayor with an ceremonial check for $200,000 for the city’s Brownfield redevelopment program.

Since 1997, when Burlington was awarded one of the first Brownfield Assessment grants by EPA, the City has become a national leader in expediting the redevelopment of contaminated sites.

Having already received $500,000 in EPA funds in three separate allocations over the past eight years, this new injection of funds will enable the City to address new sites, expand on existing projects, and continue to have the ability to move on newly discovered brownfield sites in the City.

The City of Burlington has been awarded a “Community-Wide Assessment grant” by EPA. This means that sites across the city are eligible for site assessments. While the priority sites that were known at the time (fall of 2004) were cited in the grant, the City chose to retain some flexibility by leaving a portion of the budget for sites yet to be determined.

Proposed Site Assessments* Type of Assessment Estimated Cost “Superblock” (7 contiguous properties) Phase II ESA $42,000 Moran Plant Phase II ESA $30,000 Manhattan Drive Landfill Phase II ESA $50,000 South End Transit Center Phase II ESA $12,000 Former Street Department Phase II ESA $11,000 Other sites yet to be identified Phase I/II ESA’s $33,500 Total Site Assessments: $180,000

*Some assessments will be completed with leveraged funds, allowing the budget to be used for other sites yet to be identified.

How it works The EPA Brownfields Program espouses a simple formula: conduct EPA-funded environmental site assessments on problem sites, and promote the redevelopment of those sites armed with reliable, high-quality data on environmental conditions…with all data publicly accessible. The City of Burlington takes this concept much further, using a wide array of resources to support brownfield redevelopment including direct staff support, small grants, small business loans, Section 108 Financing, and partnerships with developers and development non-profits. Moreover, EPA funding has made the city a better steward of it’s own assets.

EPA Assessment funds can be used to conduct environmental site assessments on brownfield sites. These assessments are commissioned by the City using EPA funding, and carried out by private contractors with tight EPA and State DEC Quality controls. Once completed, the assessments become part of the public domain, and provide specific information on the nature, extent, and cleanup cost of any contamination.

Burlington Brownfields Program: Grant Funding History Beginning with the initial $200,000 grant in 1997, EPA subsequently named the city a “Showcase Community Finalist” and awarded an additional $200,000 in 1998. A $100,000 Supplemental Grant in 2001 was awarded by EPA, bringing the total commitment to $500,000.

Funding Timeline

1996: Source: USEPA Brownfields Grant Type: Brownfields Assessment Pilot Initiative Amount:$200,000 Work Plan: Inventory and Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments of priority brownfield sites to alleviate areas of disinvestment and deteriorating properties.

1998: Source: USEPA Brownfields Grant Type: Showcase Community Finalist Designation Amount:$200,000 Work Plan: Expansion of activities initiated under original grant, revision of work plan to target newly prioritized sites, expansion of program goals

2001 Source: USEPA Brownfields Grant Type: Brownfields Supplemental Funding Amount: $100,000 Work Plan: New redevelopment projects added, work plan enhanced to reflect progress made on priority sites

2001 Source: Community Development Block Grant Grant Type: CDBG Community Grant Amount: $25,000 Work Plan: Funding supplemental to USEPA Brownfields, with specific focus on the Old North End, a HUD Enterprise Community neighborhood

2001 Source: PRP’s of the Pine Street Superfund Site Grant Type: Supplemental Environmental Project Funding Amount: $178,000

2002 Source: Community Development Block Grant Grant Type: CDBG Community Grant Amount: $15,000 Work Plan: Funding supplemental to USEPA Brownfields, with specific focus on newly designated HUD Renewal Community, including Old North End, Waterfront, King Street neighborhood, and south end business corridor

2003 Source: Community Development Block Grant Grant Type: CDBG Community Grant Amount: $15,000 Work Plan: Funding supplemental to USEPA Brownfields, with specific focus on newly designated HUD Renewal Community, including Old North End, Waterfront, King Street neighborhood, and south end business corridor.

Moran Environmental Site Assessment Underway

Waite Environmental Management (WEM) has been retained by CEDO’s Brownfields Program to conduct a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment at the Moran Plant. WEM was hired after a competitive process, and the assessment is funded by a USEPA Brownfields Assessment Grant. WEM will submit a work plan to Vermont DEC and USEPA for review and approval, and will conduct a thorough analysis of soils, groundwater, asbestos, lead, and other potential contamination issues. This work follows two previous studies conducted in 1989 and 1999 that showed the site has been spared from major contamination issues. The WEM assessment will be conducted with a high level of detail, backed up by USEPA Quality Assurance guidelines. WEM Principal Miles Waite, PhD, will directly oversee the assessment. The final report will be available for public review. You can see more here.