The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, has announced that Northfield will receive a $43,000 brownfields area-wide planning grant. “Development in our communities can be hampered by past contamination,” said Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner David Mears. “By working together, breaking down the government silos and combining the funding and technical expertise of our two state agencies, we can better coordinate and leverage multiple programs. Our goal is to reduce public health and environmental risks and support community planning and revitalization efforts.”
The state’s grant program is funded with support from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The $43,000 grant will help Northfield research and evaluate brownfields cleanup and reuse opportunities, and advance ongoing work to revitalize the village and make the community more resilient to future flood events.
“This project builds off of the flood recovery work done by the award-winning Vermont Downtown Action Team that used federal disaster recovery funds to help Northfield bring new vitality to village businesses. Northfield will be able to showcase opportunities to use underutilized properties, as well as implement changes that will make the village more attractive, walkable, and safer from future floods,” said Commissioner of Housing and Community Development Noelle MacKay. “This grant shows the great things that can happen when people collaborate and unite around a shared goal.”
“This funding will help Northfield’s Economic Development Committee expand its partnership between the residents, the business community and Norwich University,” said Jeffrey Schulz, Northfield’s Town Manager. “Engaging and involving these key stakeholders will help the committee determine the best approach to clean up these sites and help Northfield become a place where more businesses want to invest and more families want to live and work.”Business and community members interested in serving on the project steering committee should contact Jeff Schulz at 485-6121, or via email at [email protected].
Vermont’s Brownfield Reuse Initiative works to reduce environmental contamination and protect Vermont’s unique sense of community and place. The program is administered by the Agency of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Conservation (with support from the US Environmental Protection Agency), the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Regional Planning Commissions, and the Regional Development Corporations.