November 28, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Kingston to Host Public Meeting on Brownfield Assessment Program
Monday, December 10th at 6:00pm at City Hall
KINGSTON, N.Y. – Mayor Steve Noble is pleased to announce a public meeting regarding the Brownfield Community-wide Assessment Program, to be held on Monday, December 10th at 6:00pm at City Hall, located at 420 Broadway.
The event will include a presentation from the team of Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc., who was selected to work with the City to implement the Brownfields program, perform community-wide education and outreach, as well as inventory, site assessment and cleanup/reuse planning activities. Following the presentation, there will be a small roundtable breakout session. The purpose of the event is to inform the public on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assessment Program and to explain how it differs from the New York State’s Brownfield Opportunity Area program. The consultants will solicit input on sites that community members are concerned about and would like assessed. In addition, the roundtable will include a discussion on community reuse and redevelopment needs.
About the Community-wide Brownfields Assessment Program
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a brownfields site as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contamination.” The EPA has selected the City of Kingston to receive two (2) Community Wide Brownfields assessment grants. The $400,000 ($200,000 in hazardous substance sites and $200,000 in petroleum) assessment grant funds will be used to: update the inventory of potential brownfields sites in the City; educate residents about the Brownfields program; solicit information on additional potential brownfields projects for the inventory; develop a site selection, prioritize and selection criteria for the inventory; conduct Phase I environmental site assessments (ESAs); select sites for Phase II ESAs; and identify possible reuse and cleanup options for selected sites. The City will focus these activities in the Midtown and Roundout Waterfront districts of Kingston. Brownfield assessments are expected to encourage the cleanup of underutilized and contaminated, or potentially contaminated, properties and return them to beneficial reuse.
The community-wide hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds are anticipated to be used to conduct approximately 20 Phase I ESAs and 6 Phase II ESAs. Phase I environmental site assessments will consist of a site visit and review of municipal, state and historical files and available databases to determine the background and past use of the site and history of any reported releases of petroleum or other hazardous materials. This information is used to assess what type of contamination may be present at the site, and where it is likely to be located.
At the completion of Phase I assessments, a subset of the properties will be selected for Phase II environmental site assessments which will consist of sampling and analysis of soil, groundwater, and other media, based on the results of the Phase I assessment. Hazardous Building Material Assessments may also be completed as part of Phase II assessment activities. Based upon the findings of Phase II activities, recommendations on cleanup options, including remedial cost estimates, will be prepared.
At various stages of the assessment process, the City may sponsor community meetings to discuss the project and present findings to the public and solicit input. Notices will be posted at www.kingston-ny.gov in advance of the meetings, and announcements will be emailed to residents and other interested parties. In addition, an information repository will be set up at City Hall, where residents and members of the public will have access to documents pertaining to the selected site, including Phase I and Phase II reports.
For additional information on this program, please contact Brenna Robinson, Director of the Office of Economic & Community Development, at 845-334-3924 or [email protected].
###