First national brownfields project in the Northeast gets underway to reclaim inner city industrial sites.

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 13, 1995--The City of Bridgeport, Conn., has engaged a team led by Roy F. Weston Inc. (WESTON), leading international environmental consultants, to conduct its federal pilot brownfields redevelopment project aimed at returning derelict commercial and industrial properties to productive use.

The WESTON team includes Asset Management Solutions Inc. of Bridgeport, Conn., and the TPA Design Group of New Haven, Conn.

The city received one of three $200,000 grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin pilot brownfield redevelopment efforts. The other participants in the EPA program are Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and Richmond, Va.

According to Stephen G. Lewis, WESTON Vice President and New England Region Manager, the brownfields initiative essentially encourages reclamation of inner city derelict land by considering use-based environmental cleanup standards to identify properties with redevelopment value.

"Fear of environmental liability has compelled companies to look for pristine sites, more often in suburban areas, rather than chance the cleanup costs for potentially contaminated urban properties," Lewis said. "But through brownfield projects, federal, state and local cooperation can help turn those long-neglected industrial sites into active contributors to the local economy and, at the same time, save undeveloped areas."

Working closely with the City of Bridgeport and its civic task force, WESTON's Brownfields Team will determine the most appropriate properties for redevelopment in three of the city's industrial areas. "From an initial assessment of all potential sites, 25 candidates will be selected for detailed analyses," said Russell W. Bartley, P.E., Project Director from WESTON's Rocky Hill, Conn. office.

"Then, for two to six of those properties, the team will develop a comprehensive remediation and redevelopment strategy, along with thorough implementation plans to drive the ultimate revitalization of each parcel."

Lewis said that EPA's brownfields initiative puts a positive, practical spin on the original Superfund concept -- the actual productive reuse of contaminated property. "Moreover, it offers a tangible return to the community in terms of stimulating the local job market, increasing the municipal tax base and enriching the quality of neighborhood life," he said.

"Redeveloping these urban sites can make solid economic sense by re-energizing the city infrastructures, transportation networks and skilled labor pools that are already in place," Lewis said. "Clearly, this can result in a win-win situation for companies and their communities."

WESTON's New England Region employs 140 environmental professionals at its offices in Wilmington, Mass.; Rocky Hill, Conn.; and Concord, N.H.

Pioneering the industry since 1957, WESTON has become a leading international environmental management, design and consulting firm working in the public and private sectors to preserve, protect and restore vital air, land and water resources.

Nearly 2,800 WESTON people specialize in analytical laboratory services, engineering, facility construction and operations, remediation and large-scale turnkey programs. Based in West Chester, Pa., WESTON has 60 offices and laboratories across the U.S. with international operations in Europe and the Asian Pacific. -0- WESTON is a registered trademark of Roy F. Weston Inc.

CONTACT: Roy F. Weston Inc., West Chester

Wayne Adams, 800/327-2090