Project: The Town of Carver was awarded an EPA Brownfields cleanup grant in the amount of $200,000 to clean up petroleum contamination at a Brownfield site in Carver Center. The site is located is a desirable area, near the Town Hall and Town Library. Read the newspaper article.
Brownfield Site: 99 Main Street (Route 58) in Carver, MA
Owner of Property: The Town of Carver acquired the property in 1997 through a tax taking. Taxes had not been paid since the property was abandoned by the previous owner in 1988.
Past Use of Site: The property consists of 6.26 acres, on which there are three buildings. The site was most recently occupied by various tenants including a truck repair facility in the 1980s. Records indicate that an oil/gas facility was located on this property in the 1960s and 1970s and for some period it was used as an auto/equipment repair garage. The site is currently abandoned, and has remained with its present Brownfield status since it was abandoned by the owner in 1988.
Work Completed to Date: A Phase II Comprehensive Site Assessment and a Phase III Evaluation of Remedial Action Alternatives have been completed under the state's environmental regulations, the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP).
Remediation Plans: The EPA cleanup grant funds will be used to implement the comprehensive remedial action plan identified in the Phase III Evaluation. In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) Using Fenton's Reagent has been selected as the recommended remedial alternative to reduce petroleum hydrocarbon impacts to groundwater and soil at the site. Remediation with ISCO is intended to achieve a permanent solution for site cleanup within three years and in the most cost-efficient manner. The most recent estimated feasibility cost for this alternative is $240,000. Actual remediation costs may be more or less depending on final system design and contractor costs.
Redevelopment Plans for Site: After cleanup of the site and receipt of an environmental bill of clean health, the Town of Carver plans to redevelop the site for new Fire and Police Department facilities.
Community Status: The Town of Carver is currently at a crossroads for protecting its small-town character while responding to growth pressures and strained financial resources. The Town's financial resources have been particularly strained over the past 10 years brought on by three factors: regional growth pressure, the downturn in the cranberry industry (Carver's only revenue-positive tax base), and unexpected costs related to closure of an unlined landfill in combination with associated remediation costs for operating a groundwater recovery and treatment system related the landfill.
Southeastern Massachusetts is the fastest growing area of the state, and financial pressure due to growth is only expected to increase. In Carver, the cranberry industry has provided a significant buffer against these forces of growth by keeping thousands of acres of land out of development. In so doing, it has suppressed the rate of population growth, helped to stabilize the town's finances, and protected the environment. Now that many growers are being forced to sell their developable land in order to survive, a surge in Town growth and attendant financial needs seems inevitable. For these reasons, EPA grant funding opportunity is an attractive approach.
Consistency with Town Goals: Cleanup and redevelopment of this Brownfield site is consistent with the goals of the Carver Master Plan, specifically the smart-growth approach to development, creation of a revitalized, compact, walkable mixed-use village center, and protection of the Town's fragile environment.