RE: Community Survey

[cpeo <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

In the Greater Binghamton Area (Broome County) of New York's Southern
Tier, local brownfield sites were inventoried by a volunteer Brownfields
Subcommittee (BFSC) within the County's Environmental Management
Council.

The BFSC also ranked the sites based on (a) environmental and public
health, (b) planning and land use, and (c) legal and financial
considerations.

Results were incorporated and integrated into the Planning and Economic
Development Department's planning database and GIS system.  Several
sites on the database will be chosen for environmental site assessments,
utilizing funding provided under an EPA Pilot Program grant.  The local
pilot program management team includes the Planning Commissioner, the
Chief Planner (who is the coordinator of the EPA grant), the chair of
the BFSC, the chair of the Environmental Management Council, and two
representatives of the County Health Department.

Neither our inventory nor our ranking has been made public, but database
information can be accessed by local economic development officials,
members of the Brownfields Management Team, etc.  At least part of the
reason to not make these lists public at the present time is to avoid
stigmatizing them and discouraging redevelopment--rather than promoting
it, which is the intent.  Another reason for the delay is a desire to
first convene one or more community forums to explain the selection and
ranking processes.

Similar anxieties were expressed in the Baltimore Industrial
Redevelopment 
Council, on which I previously served.  One suggestion made there was to
call the Brownfields list a list of "Underutilized Sites" or some other
such euphemism.

Such euphemisms should, of course, not be necessary.  The recently
enacted federal Brownfields Revitalization Act gives preference in grant
funding to states and localities that have developed brownfields
inventories.

Ken Kamlet

-----------------------------------
    Kenneth S. Kamlet, Esquire
    Director of Legal Affairs
    Newman Development Grp., L.L.C.
    Vestal, New York
    607-770-1010, FAX: 607-770-3482
    kkamlet@hotmail.com



>From: paulk@cawaco.org
>Reply-To: cpeo-brownfields@igc.topica.com
>To: cpeo-brownfields@igc.topica.com
>Subject: Community Survey
>Date: Tue,  9 Dec 2003 14:17:16 +0000
>
>Has anyone done a community survey to attempt to measure the extent of
>the brownfields in their area? We want to identify a few demonstration
>sites and want to avoid finger pointing nominations. Any suggestions?

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