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Saco outlines Brownfields program after EPA awards $500,000 assessment grant
Summary
City staff and consultants described how the city can use a $500,000 EPA assessment grant to inventory sites, perform Phase I/II assessments and plan cleanups; two sites have already been entered into Saco’s program.
At a Jan. 13 workshop the city’s Economic Development Director Tracy Desjardins and consultant team members described Saco’s Brownfields assessment grant and how officials intend to use it to assess and prepare sites for redevelopment.
Nick Sabatine, identified as the Brownfields grant lead, told the council the EPA-funded award is an assessment grant that pays for environmental due diligence at eligible properties. "Assessments are provided at no cost to the property owner," Jamie Madore, the project manager, said. The team emphasized the program is voluntary and that property owners must sign access agreements before assessments begin.
Madore said the EPA awarded Saco a $500,000 assessment grant in July 2023; the project team told the council the grant must be spent within the four‑year grant period and that the award must be expended "by September 27" as stated in the presentation. The team noted communities that show measurable results frequently receive additional funding in later grant cycles.
Consultants explained the assessment process: a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (desktop and site history), followed by Phase II sampling when warranted, hazardous-building-materials inventories, vapor-intrusion testing where needed, geophysical investigations to locate buried items, and remediation planning. They said assessments follow EPA and Maine DEP quality-assurance standards and that the Maine DEP Voluntary Response Action Program (VRAP) is the state pathway to a site-closure determination that reduces future liability for owners and developers.
SMPDC (Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission) was identified as a regional partner that administers a cleanup revolving loan fund (RLF); the consultants said sites identified through Saco’s assessment program could pursue cleanup funding through SMPDC’s RLF or state programs. Madore noted other sources—job training grants, HUD, EDA and tax-increment financing—can be combined with Brownfields funds to support redevelopment.
Madore and Sabatine said Saco has already entered two sites in the program. The first, the Saco Industrial Park site, had an extensive Phase II investigation and is undergoing preparation of an environmental media management plan and a redevelopment constraints analysis to show how much of the property is developable. The second is a city-owned parcel at 509 Buxton Road that was eligible after it was taken for unpaid taxes; consultants said drums and junk cars currently on that site will need attention before redevelopment.
Consultants said public outreach materials and a Brownfields web page have been developed to nominate sites and inform owners, and that assessments will only proceed with owner participation. They encouraged residents to use the city Brownfields web page to contact Economic Development staff to suggest sites for review. No council action was required or taken Jan. 13.
