Woonsocket Projects Receive Brownfields Grant Awards

WOONSOCKET, RI—Governor Gina M. Raimondo and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) have awarded $3.26 million in grants from the Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development Fund to finance thirteen projects in seven cities and towns across the state, including three in Woonsocket.

The Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development Fund, made possible by the 2018 Green Economy Bond, seeks to reuse polluted industrial sites, known as brownfields, as commercial and industrial space. Repurposing this sites helps to mitigate threats to public health and the environment, create jobs, support small business, revitalize neighborhoods, and increase the community tax base, according to a press release from DEM.

“The community cleanups and investments made possible by brownfields grants underscore the power of the green economy bonds that finance them,” said DEM Director Janet Coit in a statement. “From protecting the environment to supporting economic development to strengthening our resiliency in the face of climate change to upgrading critical clean water infrastructure, green bonds improve the lives of every Rhode Islander. This is why Rhode Island voters have a long history of supporting environmental bonds.”

The three Woonsocket projects that received grants are Seville Dye, currently a vacant site owned by the city on which a 1.5-megawatt solar array will be built, Sunnyside Solar Redevelopment, two parcels of land that will be remediated and reused as a solar farm, and Woonsocket Sponging Mill, a building that is being rehabilitated in collaboration with Woonsocket High School to provide training and vocational opportunities.

“Brownfields redevelopment returns vacant and underused properties to productive use, mitigates environmental impacts, provides jobs and tax revenue, and revitalizes communities,” said Woonsocket Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt in a statement. “The proposed solar array projects at the Seville Dye and Sunnyside Avenue sites will increase Woonsocket’s commitment to the state’s clean energy goals and the redevelopment of Woonsocket Sponging Mill will lead to vibrant job training and trade and vocational opportunities for our high school students.

"Cleaning up contaminated brownfields sites is a smart investment and I appreciate the investment that Governor Raimondo and the Department of Environmental Management are making in the city that I am proud to lead," she continued.

The Woonsocket redevelopment projects received a total of $484,400 in funding, according to DEM. The Seville Dye project received a $292,800 redevelopment grant, the Sunnyside Solar Redevelopment project received a $100,000 site preparation grant, and the Woonsocket Sponging Mill received a $91,600 redevelopment grant.