EXETER – The Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) has awarded a $500,000 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Revolving Loan Fund Grant to The Zachary Tompkins Memorial Field project in Hudson, New Hampshire. This cleanup project will remediate asbestos contamination on a Town owned parcel of land which will be developed into a multi-sport memorial field as a tribute to, Zachary Tompkins, a Hudson youth, who died unexpectedly of a heart defect in early 2010. REDC is working in partnership with the Town of Hudson, the Tompkins Foundation, NH Department of Environmental Services (DES), and the EPA in Boston to finalize plans for this project so that cleanup can begin this fall. Executive Director, Laurel Bistany states that “After working on this project with the Town of Hudson and the Foundation for more than two years we are very pleased to see Zach’s Stadium become a reality. This project is an excellent use of Brownfield’s cleanup funding as it meets the program goals and has broad community benefit”. REDC will present the grant award to the Town of Hudson at the Groundbreaking Ceremony on October 26th at 8:30 AM at the site location.
The estimated cost of cleanup for the site is $650,000, which includes relocating the waste and construction oversight by environmental professionals. The State of NH DES is granting the Town $150,000 towards the project, and with the full support of the EPA Boston, the Town applied to REDC for the remaining $500,000 needed to fully fund the clean up.
This grant is made possible through the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield’s Revitalization Act of 2001, whereby the EPA is working to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize Brownfield sites.
In New Hampshire, Brownfield sites are typically contaminated properties located in town and village centers that have suffered due to early industrial history, which included textile, woolen, and wooden product manufacturing mills in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As a result of the contamination left behind by these industries, the Brownfield sites are often underutilized or abandoned, taking a significant economic, environmental, and social toll on the local communities. The purpose of the EPA grant program is to restore the sites to productive reuse and to revitalize the communities. The property for the Zachary Tompkins Memorial Field is located at 9 and 17 Industrial Drive in the Town of Hudson, NH and consists of 11.5 acres.
For more information on this project, please contact REDC at 603.772.2655 or visit our website at www.redc.com.