Rochester to receive $3.396 million brownfield grant from NYSDEC

According to mayor Robert Duffy, the city will receive $3.396 million from the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for remediation of environmental contamination at 1000 Driving Pk. Ave. The Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) grant is one of the largest environmental cleanup grants awarded to the city in the last 20 years. The state will reimburse the city various percentages of total costs for asbestos abatement, building demolition and other remedial work totaling $3.396 million. The project is estimated to cost $4.506 million, leaving the city's estimated cost share to be $1.404 million. In addition, the EPA awarded the city $200,000 in April for cleanup and community outreach activities concerning the site, where 12.5 acres were contaminated by a former photographic film and paper manufacturing facility, chemical laboratory and incinerator. The funding will allow the city to perform such cleanup activities as the removal and disposal of contaminated soil, cleanup of a former silver recovery system and decontamination of equipment and building materials. The most recent owner ceased operations and abandoned the property in 1991 and the city obtained the property under tax foreclosure proceedings in 1997 and entered into the NYSDEC Environmental Restoration Program to begin an environmental investigation of the site. The investigation included an asbestos survey, building and equipment decontamination survey, and a subsurface investigation. In addition, the city completed interim cleanup measures, including the removal of abandoned alcohol tanks and fuel oil tanks. The city will complete the project's planning in the fall and begin cleanup in spring or summer of 2008 and work is anticipated to take two years to complete. The city intends to have the site redeveloped as an industrial park resulting in private sector investment, job creation and new economic development opportunities in the city.