Windham Regional Commission

Brownfields

Associate director: susan Westa

WRC Brownfields Committee: click here

WRC Brownfields Meeting Schedule 2025: 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. Since 2021, WRC has also received funding made possible in part by a grant from the State of Vermont through the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Economic Development.

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 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 2025 are as follows:

Meeting Dates	Application Due Dates
February 12	February 3
April 9	March 31
June 11	June 2
August 13	August 4
October 8	September 29
December 10	December 1

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, December 2025
• 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
Adams Grist Mill Bellows Falls	Phase II Supplement testing and CAP will be coordinated with TLR and Penta Wyman.
Bellows Falls Bike Project Bellows Falls	Cleanup underway.
Bellows Falls Train Station Bellows Falls	Cooperative Grant/Loan Agreement has been executed and cleanup is underway.
CF Church Brattleboro	ECAA/CAP & Pilot testing – field work complete.
Foodworks Brattleboro	Phase II complete and updated, Phase I underway.
The Garage Bellows Falls	Offsite Vapor Plume Delineation complete.
Leonard Block Brattleboro	Phase II complete. Project is not moving forward due to lack of funding for redevelopment.
McNeil's Brewery Brattleboro	Phase II complete. Town is determining next steps.
Morningside Shelter Site Brattleboro	Site Investigation complete and CAP complete. Preparing for cleanup.
Penta Wyman Flint Bellows Falls	CAP – will be completed in conjunction with Adams & TLR.
South Newfane Store Buyout Newfane	Supplemental sampling complete.
Talc Mine Site Windham	Phase I complete.
TLR Bellows Falls	CAP & Pilot testing – will be complete in conjunction with Adams & Penta.
Windham School Site Windham	Phase II should move forward soon with partial funding from WRC.
Winston Prouty Brattleboro	Phase II complete. Supplemental sampling and ECAA underway.
Weston FEMA Buyout Site Weston	Phase I underway.