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Auburn seeks EPA brownfields funding to remediate 7 Chestnut Street and redevelop near PAL Center
Summary
City staff told the council they will apply for an EPA brownfields grant (application due Jan. 28) seeking about $4 million to remediate contamination at 7 Chestnut Street and fund site redevelopment tied to the PAL Center. Staff will accept public feedback through Jan. 15 and continue pursuing alternative grants if EPA funding is not awarded.
City staff presented an update on 7 Chestnut Street — a vacant parcel near the PAL Center that contains soil contamination likely tied to a former dry-cleaning operation and petroleum products — and said the city is pursuing federal brownfields funding to remediate and redevelop the site.
Eric Cousins, public services director, outlined how the city acquired the property and entered the Maine voluntary response action program (VRAP) to limit future liability. He said Maine Department of Environmental Protection has provided analysis and that the city can pursue additional brownfields and regional grants to complete remediation.
Katie Boss, grants and special projects manager, said the city plans to submit an EPA brownfields application due Jan. 28 and believes Auburn’s proposal is competitive because the site is adjacent to the federally supported PAL Center and because the contamination profile supports remediation. She said the application is still drafty while staff await one additional remediation option and invited public comment through Jan. 15 before the Jan. 28 submission.
Boss described remediation alternatives being evaluated, including excavation and an emerging in-situ treatment that injects a liquid mix to accelerate microbial digestion of contaminants to reduce soil removal. The city is seeking roughly $4 million to both clean up contamination and support redevelopment concepts like a playground and improved park amenities linked to PAL Center programming.
If EPA funds are not awarded, staff said the city will pursue other federal and regional sources and continue to pursue cleanup under VRAP to protect long-term liability and support future redevelopment.
Next steps: staff will finalize the application, publish draft materials for public review at city offices, and return with updates on the preferred remediation pathway and funding results.
