State grant enables Walnut Street cleanup to proceed
Date: 10/24/2012
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comAGAWAM — Earlier this month, MassDevelopment awarded the town with a grant for up to $50,000 for the cleanup assessment of 346-350 Walnut St. Ext., courtesy of the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund.
Kelsey Abbruzzese, Communications director for Mass-Development, explained the decision to support the Walnut Street project.
"The purpose of the grant is to eliminate blight [within communities]," she said. "The fact that the town has made [the cleanup] of this property priority and its proximity to a commercial center, were both factors that favored the grant award."
Mayor Richard Cohen stated that the owner, Manfore Tidor, more than $1 million committed into the cleanup of the site. In 2010, the extension was identified as a priority economic development site in the Agawam Economic Development Plan.
"We [the town] want to do the analysis and find out what the cost is to redevelop this site," Cohen said. "It's the only area that's been a detriment and an eye sore. It is designated as an exceptional opportunity area by the Commonwealth.
"The assessment is the most critical step in the process. If affordable, a potential builder would like to cleanup and build on the site," he continued.
That interested party is O'Reilly, Talbot & Okun of Springfield, a company that specializes in brownfield redevelopment.
The extension is contaminated with hazardous waste from soil and groundwater pollution, and indoor air pollution, associated with the building's former use as dry cleaning facility.
According to Cohen, the site is adjacent to the former Food Mart plaza and the recently opened Dave's Soda and Pet City, creating great potential for the site to become a source of economic revenue for the town.
"My goal is to get it cleaned up. I'll be the first one to take a sledgehammer to the building. I am very excited and cautiously optimistic that it'll get done soon," Cohen added.
