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UConn TAB pitches regional brownfields roundtables to RiverCog members
Summary
UConn Technical Assistance to Brownfields proposed regional roundtables (April–June) to connect municipalities, state agencies and developers to funding, best practices and liability guidance; RiverCog members volunteered partners and venues and asked for tailored content on municipal liability.
Katie Melgiolio, community engagement coordinator for UConn Technical Assistance to Brownfields (UConn TAB), outlined a plan for regional brownfields roundtables and asked RiverCog members whether the organization should host an event in this region.
Melgiolio said the UConn TAB program, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, offers free technical services to municipalities, nonprofits and regional planning organizations facing brownfield issues and that the roundtables are modeled on successful Massachusetts events. She described a typical agenda of brief stakeholder presentations followed by a collaborative panel and Q&A, recommended 9 a.m.–12 p.m. programming with a total event length of about three hours, and said organizers expect roughly 40–50 attendees.
Members asked whether the roundtables would address municipal liability for taking on brownfield projects. Melgiolio said UConn TAB can tailor content, including a brownfields primer that covers legal and liability considerations and a local pathway to grant applications. RiverCog staff and members suggested local partners, including the chamber of commerce and potential venues such as community colleges and restaurants on remediated sites.
Melgiolio said dates are flexible between April and June and that the program can include state agencies (CT DEEP, DECD), the EPA and regional partners; RiverCog staff said they would gauge interest and follow up. The presentation closed with an invitation to volunteer hosts and an assurance that organizers will include topics requested by the region.
