NEWARK NJ--Deputy Mayor of Economic and Housing Development Stefan Pryor, East Ward Council Member Augusto Amador, Federal Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith Enck, and Ironbound Community Corporation Executive Director Joseph Della Fave announced the award of a federal $100,000 grant to the Ironbound Community Corporation to identify and address pollution problems in the East Ward, during a press conference which was held at the River Bank Park Field House.
The non-profit Ironbound Community Corporation will use the funds to identify and address pollution problems in the East Ward, focusing on the cumulative impacts of multiple courses of pollution and finding ways to reduce posed risks.
For the CARE Project, ICC will bring together various stakeholders including residents, business and community group representatives, members of the academic and governmental sectors to help gather diverse sources of information about current and potential environmental problems. The CARE project will also take into account community experiences, socio-economic and public health data to better determine the community’s vulnerability to pollution exposure. The project will also investigate the cumulative impacts of these environmental burdens and work through a consensus process to prioritize issues that must be addressed moving forward. Ultimately, ICC and its CARE stakeholders will work with the public to draft strategies for reducing or mitigating impacts and secure commitments for action.
The City of Newark has received three EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants in the amount of $200,000 each. Following the City’s stimulus philosophy of putting funds directly to work, and not exacerbating municipal budget issues by adding staff, the budgets of each grant is 100 percent dedicated to the cleanup activities and related public involvement that is required under the State's Brownfields cleanup program.
The City is currently finalizing the remedial action work plans for these sites. Once the remedial action work plans are approved by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, in accordance with federal, state and local procurement rules, the work plans will be integrated into Request for Proposals, and clean up services will be procured via a competitive process. The anticipated time frame varies per site, but all cleanups are estimated to be under 12 months paving the way for redevelopment in short order.
Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the NSC Plating and Polishing Company at 242 South 12th Street. The site is a former plating and polishing facility that is contaminated with cadmium, nickel, and zinc. This site is currently blighting the Fairmont Neighborhood of the West Ward. This project is part of the City’s West Ward Initiative that is layering community development tools to reclaim abandoned properties and bring them back into productive use.
Grant funds also will be used to clean up the International Metallurgical Services site in the East Ward at 190-202 Blanchard Street. The 1.6-acre site is a former ethanol production facility and metal recovery operation that is contaminated with beryllium and other metals. After the cleanup project is completed, the site is expected to be part of the Morris Companies Blanchard Street development of a 600 to 700,000 square foot distribution center. This development is expected to create 350 temporary construction jobs; more than 300 permanent jobs, and generate almost $1 million in annual tax revenue.
Petroleum grant funds will be used to clean up a former gas station at 1037 Bergen Street in the South Ward that is contaminated with petroleum products. This property is expected to be redeveloped as a retail space that is expected to create up to 20 jobs. This is an example of stimulus supporting the vitality of our main streets, as this grant will help bring life back to an empty stretch of Bergen Street, a commercial corridor that is the lifeline of a residential neighborhood.
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