Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty was in Waterbury this afternoon to meet with Mayor Neil O’Leary at the Anamet site on South Main Street to discuss brownfield strategy in cleaning up the property purchased by the city in 2017. The city is currently clearing brush from the site in order to begin demolition of several of the large, crumbling buildings located on the property. Once removed, the city will clear polluted soils and prepare the site to be marketed for redevelopment by private industry.
In March, Congress passed legislation by Esty to reauthorize and increase funding to the EPA’s Brownfields Program, which will spur economic revitalization in cities and towns across America. Esty’s bill made important changes to make the brownfields program work even better: it allows grants to be used for multipurpose grants, it allows grants to be used by non-profits, and it increases the grant limits from $200,000 to $500,000 per project.
Congresswoman Esty is pictured here walking across the Anamet site this afternoon with Waterbury mayor Neil O’Leary.