Windham Regional Commission

Brownfields

Associate director: susan Westa

WRC Brownfields Committee: click here

WRC Brownfields Meeting Schedule 2023: click here

Brownfields are land and buildings whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse
may be complicated by the presence or potential presence
of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

The Windham Region Brownfields Reuse Initiative (WRBRI) was established in 2000 with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since that time we have been working hard to promote vibrant communities by facilitating brownfields redevelopment.

All together this funding has brought a total of $4.72 million dollars in federal brownfields funds to the region for assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites. This successful program has been instrumental in helping revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from underutilized properties to productive business and community use.

Brownfields Committee 2023 Schedule

The Brownfields Committee meets bimonthly on the second Wednesday of the month at 4:00 PM.

Applications are due by 4:00 PM of the Monday of the week prior to the meeting (except for the June meeting, since that Monday is Memorial Day). If you have any questions about the application process, contact Susan Westa, WRC Brownfields Program Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The meeting schedule and application due dates for 2023 are as follows:

Meeting Dates	Application Due Dates
February 8	January 30
April 12	April 3
June 14	June 5
September 20	September 11
October 11	October 2
December 13	December 4

New Brownfields Funding Available for Assessment and Cleanup Work

The Windham Regional Commission has been awarded $500,000 for brownfields assessment work and $2 million for cleanup from the US Environmental Protection Agency. This funding is critical to support the work of the Windham Regional Brownfields Reuse Initiative (WRBRI). Assessment funding is used to determine if there is contamination by hazardous materials or petroleum products and the extent of that contamination. Once the contamination issues are clearly identified, a cleanup plan is developed. Property owners, public and private, can then apply for cleanup funding to make sites safe for redevelopment. The State of Vermont is also supporting brownfields work with $50,000 for assessment work. Together this funding will enable redevelopment throughout the Windham Region.

If you are interested in learning more about this funding, please visit our website at http://www.windhamregional.org/brownfields or contact Susan Westa, Associate Director at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup Updates

Active Assessment Site Update, June 2023
• Phase I – determines likelihood of potential contamination
• Phase II – determines extent of potential contamination
• ABCA – Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives/cleanup planning
• CAP – Corrective Action Plan/cleanup planning
• ECAA – Evaluation of Corrective Action Alternatives

SITE	UPDATE
21 O'Bryan Drive Brattleboro	Phase II complete.
BDCC Industrial Site	Phase II funding approved.
Bellows Falls Bike Project Bellows Falls	ECAA/CAP underway.
Black Mountain & Glen Parks Brattleboro	Phase I's complete.
Daley Shoe Building Brattleboro	SSDS evaluation approved.
Foodworks Brattleboro	Phase I funding approved.
The Garage Bellows Falls	Vapor plume delineation complete.
The Gathering Place Brattleboro	Phase I funding approved.
South Newfane Store Newfane	Phase I funding approved.
Thermal House Brattleboro	Indoor PCB testing complete and evaluation underway.
WheelPad Wilmington	Phase I funding approved.
Winston Prouty Brattleboro	Site investigation and Phase II underway.

Active Revolving Loan Fund/Cleanup Site Update, June 2023

SITE	UPDATE
Bellows Falls Train Station Bellows Falls	Preparing for cleanup.
BMAC/11 Arch St Brattleboro	Historic documentation underway.
The Garage Bellows Falls	Site redeveloped.
New England Youth Theater 48 Elm Street, Brattleboro	Demolition complete and cleanup underway.