Town Seeking Brownfields Grant to Assess Area Near Amerbelle

The administration is applying for a federal grant to accurately assess the condition of the area around the former Amerbelle Textiles factory complex.
 
The Town Council on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for administrators to apply for a Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grant, which is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The grant application would be for $400,000.
 
If awarded, the funding "allows for the inventory, characterization and assessment of sites as well as funding for cleanup and redevelopment planning," according to a memo in Tuesday's council packet. 

The parcels targeted are Amerbelle, which stretches from 104 East Main St. to 5 Brooklyn St.; The Daniels Mill building, just down the hill at 98 East Main St.; and the commercial parcel at 19 Grove St., across the intersection from Amerbelle's main entrance. 

The application would request $200,000 for hazardous substance assessment and $200,000 for petroleum assessment, according to the council memo.
 
One reason for the studies is that the sites are located at the "gateway" to downtown Rockville and are close to the Hockanum River and Paper Mill Pond, Town Administrator John Ward said. 

"I believe it is prudent to begin actively assessing and eventually remediating this area," Ward wrote in the memo. 

There is no matching fund requirement for the grant and the performance period of the grant is three years, Ward said.

The town has been granted a court injunction to control what goes on at Amerbelle.