EPA Remediates Former Merriam Manufacturing

The remediation of the former Merriam Manufacturing Company/Durham Manufacturing Company on Main Street is in progress with completion expected by the end of 2011.

The Merriam Manufacturing Company was established in 1851 and manufactured metal displays and boxes, according to the EPA historical timeline of the project. Wastewater containing dissolved organic solvents and paint wastes were disposed of in lagoons from 1973 to 1982. In another area, paint wastes and degreasing solvents were stored on the ground in drums. Most of Merriam Manufacturing Company's facilities burned in 1998, and the company has relocated its operations. The Durham Manufacturing Company was established in 1922 and continues to operate as a manufacturer of metal boxes. Wastewater and waste sludge was disposed of in sludge drying beds, and wastes have also been stored on that site in drums. Many residents in the area are using private wells. The site is less than 0.5 miles from the Coginchaug River to the west and currently borders on the Allyn Brook to the south. A freshwater wetland is located on the Durham Manufacturing Company property.

The site is being addressed in two stages: initial actions and a long-term remedial phase focusing on cleanup of the entire site.

EPA began on-site cleanup work at the Merriam Manufacturing Company Study Area in May 2011 with demolition of the warehouse building in June 2011 and soil excavation in July 2011. EPA expects all soil excavation work to be complete by the end of calendar year 2011.

Development, Greening of Brownfields

Five brownfield sites across Connecticut will receive a total of $2.25 million to assist in redevelopment efforts under a pilot program funded through the state Bond Commission.

The Brownfield Municipal Pilot Program was created in 2006 and expanded through legislation in 2007. Under the program, the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) designates five pilot projects in a variety of communities where untreated brownfields are hindering economic development. Two projects must be in cities with populations more than 100,000; one must be in a city with a population between 50,000 and 100,000; and one must be selected from a municipality with a population of less than 50,000. The fifth project is selected at the discretion of the DECD commissioner.

The projects include:

Stamford, $450,000 for the Harbor Point Partnership Project, an 80-acre former industrial site that is being redeveloped for office, housing, hotel and mixed-use development. Pilot funds will be used for remediation at the location of a new 3.25-acre public park.

Waterbury, $650,000 for the clean-up of the Cherry Street Industrial Project. The pilot funds will be used for abatement, demolition and remediation of two vacant industrial buildings. A new, 63,000-square-foot building will be built on the site to accommodate the expansion of Bender Plumbing Supply.

Community between 50,000 and 100,000 in population

Norwalk, $300,000 for remediation of the three-acre South Norwalk train station site, which is targeted for transit-oriented redevelopment.

Community with less than 50,000 in population

The Georgetown Redevelopment Project, Redding, $425,000 for remediation and removal of contaminated soil at the site of the 51-acre former Gilbert & Bennet Wire Mill. On completion, this multi-phase project will include housing, retail, community facilities and a new train platform.

Discretionary community

Shelton, $425,000, remediation of a one-acre site that will be offered for private sale and redevelopment. Adjacent to the Housatonic River, this site was the location of chemical manufacturer Axton Cross. The site is a key component of the redevelopment of downtown Shelton known as Enterprise and Commerce Park.

In related news, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has named the president of Virginia Industries of Rocky Hill, Laura Grondin, to become the new chairwoman of the Connecticut Development Authority (CDA).

Grondin, who lives in Haddam, has led the Rocky Hill manufacturer since 1999 and has been a member of the CDA board of directors since November 2007.

Formerly president of the Hartford Bearing Co., a division of Virginia Industries, Grondin has served on many public and private boards, agencies, and associations. These include: the Connecticut Business & Industry Association; the Children’s Law Center of Connecticut; the Connecticut Women’s Council, and the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce, Arts Council and Jaycees. She also served as a member of state government’s Brownfields Task Force. She received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

The General Assembly established CDA as a quasi-public agency in 1988 to provide debt financing and investment capital to help Connecticut businesses grow.

Grondin succeeds L. Scott Franz, who was elected in November to become the new state senator for the 36th District. Frantz also had chaired Bradley International Airport’s board of directors, from which he resigned recently.