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Brownfields Case Study
Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project
In March 1998, Vice-President Al Gore designated the State of Rhode Island and the Woonasquatucket River Greenway as one of 16
Brownfields Showcase Communities.
The application was submitted by the State of Rhode Island, the City of Providence, and
The Providence Plan, sponsor of the
Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project.
This designation
helped secure funding from the Environmental Protection Agency for the environmental assessments
and remedial designs for
Riverside Mills
and
Lincoln Lace and Braid
- city-owned properties
along the Woonasquatucket American Heritage River located in Olneyville, a federally designated Enterprise Community neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency designated a full time employee to oversee and direct the restoration of the two Brownfield sites and assist in the development of the greenway.
Plans for these sites have drawn national attention as a unique effort to promote reuse of a Brownfield to meet the recreation and open space needs of an underserved and disadvantaged population. State of Rhode Island funds
were used for a preliminary remediation that included the removal of Underground Storage Tanks at both sites. In the fall of 2001, work is scheduled for final remediation and grading at Riverside Mills, funded by the City of Providence and a $1 million
HUD Neighborhood Initiative grant secured by Senator Jack Reed. The ultimate goal of this multi-stakeholder effort is to restore the Riverside Mills site and adjacent parcel to create an approximately 8-acre park dedicated to environmental education, recreation, and open space. Attempts are also being made to restore the remaining historic building and use it as an urban environmental/arts center. Through the work of the community-based Woonasquatucket River Greenway Program (WRGP), over 250 residents, and members of institutions, community centers, recreation directors, schools and churches were interviewed for local input on the site design for the project. Park improvements will be funded by the City of Providence, a $450,000 Greenways grant and a $100,000 Trails Grant, both from the State of Rhode Island. In addition, the site has been chosen as the demonstration site for a riparian (riverside) forest restoration. The restoration will be funded through a US Forest Service Grant and National Fish and Wildlife funds. These funds were secured through the coordinated efforts of
DEM's Sustainable Watersheds Office
and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council and shows the
Rhode Island Watershed Partnership
in action. The final remediation of the Lincoln Lace and Braid site will be funded by the City of Providence, and additional soccer fields will be constructed, complementing improvements completed by the City at the adjacent Merino Park.
last updated: 04/03/03
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