State money to clean up Fellows

The state has awarded $110,000 for environmental remediation of the Fellows Gear Shaper property.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100327/NEWS02/3270348/1003/NEWS02       # # # # State money to clean up Fellows  •  Rutland Herald  •  By Josh O'Gorman STAFF WRITER - Published: March 27, 2010  •  SPRINGFIELD — The state has awarded $110,000 for environmental remediation of the Fellows Gear Shaper property.  •  The grant, from the state's Brownfield Fund, will be used to continue cleanup activities at the River Street property.  •  "This proposal will help continue with the redevelopment of a critical downtown property," said Gov. James Douglas. "This will not only help the town's economy, but will turn a blighted property into clean, safe commercial space, including space for the Springfield Hospital health center."  •  The grant, combined with an additional $80,000 from the Southern Windsor Regional Planning Commission, will put the redevelopment project on the fast track, said Robert Flint, executive director of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation.  •  "People will start seeing visible work on the site by the end of April," Flint said.  •  This latest grant follows more than $1 million in funding for the project, including $750,000 to install sprinklers and emergency lighting and $344,731 in tax credits to refurbish the building.  •  Flint said some environmental work has been completed, such as asbestos removal, and the newest grant will be used to encapsulate areas containing PCBs with concrete.  •  Flint said he anticipated the property will be ready for occupancy by the first quarter of 2011.  •  The Springfield Community Health Center will be the anchor tenant, and Flint said he is in negotiations to bring a retail store, which he declined to identify, to the site.  •  "This is another step in the right direction," Flint said of the grant. "We're one step closer toward bringing new businesses and new jobs to Springfield."  •