Springfield loans $50,000 to SRDC for J&L environmental review

The town of Springfield has agreed to lends up to $50,000 interest-free to the Springfield Regional Development Corp. to do a final environmental report required before the development group can start the demolition of the old Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150518/THISJUSTIN/705189963

Springfield loans $50,000 to SRDC for J&L environmental review By Susan Smallheer Staff Writer | May 18,2015 Photo by Len Emery The brick facade has begun to deteriorate, crumble and fall at the old Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co. property on Clinton Street in Springfield. SPRINGFIELD — The town of Springfield has agreed to lends up to $50,000 interest-free to the Springfield Regional Development Corp. to do a final environmental report required before the development group can start the demolition of the old Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co. Bob Flint, executive director of the nonprofit development group, said the money would be paid back once the group received anticipated grants to pay for the demolition itself. SRDC bought what was once one of the crown jewels of the machine tool industry in 2003, after the company’s owner, The Goldman Group, declared bankruptcy. The building has been vacant and unheated for the last 25 years, and is one of he “most notorious brownfield sites” in the state of Vermont, according to Flint. “J&L has got them all beat for magnitude and complexity,” he said of the pollution. Flint said that a recent meeting he had with officials from the Agency of Commerce and the Agency of Natural Resources, along with the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, determined the need for the final environment study. Once that is done, Flint said, demolition will be on the agenda. Exactly how much of the building — which stretches for about a city block along Clinton Street — will be demolished is unclear, also subject to negotiations with state officials. Flint said that state Historic Preservation officials had earlier negotiated an agreement that about half of the original facade of the dilapidated structure be saved. But Flint said that may change, with more of the building coming down. Flint told the Springfield Select Board last week that the building hasn’t been heated in about 25 years, and the roof is starting to collapse. SRDC and the town have received several grants, including a $400,000 federal Environmental Protection Agency grant two years ago to do some of the environmental pollution cleanup of J&L, which Flint said, is considered one of the worst brownfield sites in the state. Cleanup of J&L had been delayed over a lawsuit involving the former gasification plant, on the other side of Clinton Street. But environmental pollution from the coal tar site is making its way under Clinton Street to J&L, adding to its pollution load, Flint said. Toxic oils and chemicals left over from the machining process were often dumped on site. The so-called “chip shed” in the back of the building — on the banks of the Black River — had the worst contamination, Flint said. The building, which is faced with a distinctive row of maple trees, is in a prominent location in the entrance into Springfield from Interstate 91. J&L had a long and rich history in Springfield, giving birth to the other two major machine tool companies in town — Fellows Gear Shaper and Bryant Grinder. At one time, the three shops employed more than 4,000 people in well-paying jobs. Flint said that once the demolition is completed, he hoped to put up two industrial buildings to attract new businesses in town. The money will come from the town’s revolving loan fund, which is funded by various federal grants that are in the process of being paid back to the town. Town Manager Tom Yennerell said that the current balance in the fund was $175,000. SRDC is current with the one outstanding loan it has with the town, Flint said. Selectman George McNaughton abstained from voting on the request since he does legal work for SRDC.