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Brownfields Committee Applies for Additional
EPA Brownfields Assessment Funding

The Town of Walpole’s Brownfields Committee is in the process of applying for additional Brownfields funding through the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Program. The Town will apply for a FY 2003 Brownfields Assessment Grant to continue the assessment and redevelopment analysis for the Main Street site. This site has been the subject of an ongoing Brownfields redevelopment analysis through the current EPA Brownfields grant and through the Brownfields grant received from the Massachusetts’s Attorney General’s Office. Additional details regarding the work completed to date are presented below. For more information please contact the Brownfields Committee through the Walpole Health Department.

Walpole Breaks Ground on Central Business District Parking Lot

On July 24, 2002, the Town of Walpole broke ground on the new Central Business District (CBD) parking lot located in the downtown business area. More than 35 people attended the ground-breaking ceremony including: Town officials, state officials, and Senator Jo Ann Sprague who presented the Town with a proclamation recognizing the Town’s efforts on the CBD project. In addition, members of the Downtown Business Owners Association and the Walpole Chamber of Commerce had a strong representation at the ceremony. A representative from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also attended the groundbreaking ceremony and congratulated the Town for moving this project forward after several years of planning, design and assessment activities. The CBD project was the first site to undergo environmental site assessment in conjunction with the Town’s ongoing EPA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Project. Construction of the CBD project will be completed using an $895,000 state grant to revitalize the downtown business area.

Groundbreaking Ceremonies

During the groundbreaking ceremony Town Administrator Michael Boynton, "congratulated all the project stakeholders (property owners, Town Officials, State Officials and project consultants) for working together for many years to bring the project to fruition"... "Integration of multiple funding sources and coordination with other Town efforts demonstrated how hard work and creative thinking by all involved can make a project successful"

The first step in the redevelopment of the CBD site, following demolition of the existing structures and land clearing activities, was to address the existing subsurface soil contamination discovered at the site. The contaminated soils, identified in conjunction with the Brownfields Project site assessment activities, will be excavated and disposed of in an environmentally conscious manner in accordance with the requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The intent of the site remediation activities is to ensure that the site is redeveloped in a manner that is safe for the public and the environment. The construction photos below show the initial excavation and site cleanup activities under taken by the contractor – watch this site for future photos as construction progresses.

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Proposed New CBD Parking Lot

Previous Brownfields Pilot Work on the Central Business District Parking
Lot Site

The Brownfields Committee and CDM worked with Town officials to assist with the development of the proposed Central Business District (CBD) parking lot. The CBD parking lot is being constructed on a Brownfields site in the downtown area using an $895,000 state grant. Prior to the CBD parking lot construction, the Brownfields Pilot funding was used to assess the environmental conditions on the property and to develop the site remediation requirements.

CDM completed soil sampling activities on several of the CBD properties in 2001. Following soil sampling activities, CDM installed groundwater monitoring wells and collected ground water samples for laboratory analysis in order to evaluate ground water conditions at the site. The intent of the site investigation and sampling activities was to determine if any potential subsurface contamination existed from the past uses of the site. Based on the site investigation data collected, which indicated an area of subsurface soil contamination, CDM prepared remediation requirements for the Town to include with the CBD parking lot construction contract in accordance with the regulatory requirements outlined in the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP). The remediation requirements outlined in the MCP are intended to ensure that the site is redeveloped in a manner that is safe for public uses and for the environment. For more information on the site assessment and remediation process see the Project Fact Sheet.

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Soil Sampling Activities

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Existing Conditions - Prior to Construction

For more information on this project, please contact the Brownfields Project or the Town of Walpole Engineering Department.

Brownfields Committee Completes Main Street Redevelopment Analysis

In conjunction with the ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Project (“Brownfields Pilot”), the Town of Walpole, Massachusetts has identified and prioritized several potential Brownfields sites within the community. As a result of this analysis, the Walpole Brownfields Committee identified a group of adjacent parcels located on Main Street (Route 1A) as a top priority for assessment, environmental remediation (as necessary) and redevelopment. The Main Street parcels consist partially of underutilized industrial and commercial sites that are currently automobile salvage yards, scrap metal recycling facilities, and parking areas for large commercial vehicles. Past uses of these sites have included municipal solid waste disposal, and building demolition debris disposal.

Due to these parcels’ proximity to adjacent wetlands, parcels are adjacent and within wetland areas that serve as the Town’s sole-source drinking water supply, these parcels are a top priority in our Brownfield’s program. However, the Town is sensitive to the types of redevelopment that can occur on this site in order to protect its drinking water supply. That is why a strong potential use for this site being considered is recreational.

On March 12, 2002, the Town of Walpole, Massachusetts submitted an application to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office for the Municipal Brownfields Grant Program (AGO Grant). In May the Town was awarded a $42,500 grant to complete the comprehensive redevelopment planning and open space creation or revitalization tasks necessary to explore the potential to develop a public golf course and /or golf training facility on these parcels. The Brownfields Committee believes that this type of facility will serve to protect the Town’s water supply, as well as significantly contribute to the economic and physical revitalization of the community, create new permanent job positions, and allow for the creation of open space.

The final Redevelopment Analysis report was completed in June 2002 (copies of the report are available at Town Hall or in the Library).

The first step in the redevelopment analysis for the Main Street site was to determine the types of golf course and/or golf training facilities that could be supported on the site based on the available land area and individual facility requirements. The report included the results of the following tasks under taken by the project’s technical consultants to determine whether or not the redevelopment of these sites as a public golf course and/or golf training facility warranted further consideration.

- Site Analysis and Base Map Preparation;
- A Market Evaluation;
- A Financial Analysis; and
- Development of a Preferred Master Plan for the site.

The existing conditions, site analysis and base map preparation task formed the basis for the market and financial analysis activities that followed.

The focus of the market evaluation was to define and quantify the golf market from which the proposed golf course and/or golf training facility would draw its support. The analysis indicated that Eastern Massachusetts is a strong golf market, as evidenced by the number of golfers and the growing number of golf courses in the area. However, the Walpole market continues to be underserved, creating pent up demand for public golf rounds. Therefore the market analysis determined that there is ample demand within the Primary and Secondary Markets to warrant consideration of the proposed Walpole Brownfields Site golf course.

With sufficient demand for additional holes of public golf in the market area, a number of alternative golf course scenarios that could be accommodated on the 135-acre Main Street Site were examined to determine their financial viability. Given the site constraints identified during the site analysis, three alternative schemes were developed for financial analysis:

9-hole regulation length course with training facility
9-hole regulation length course with driving range
18-hole par 3 course

Each scenario was examined independently with separate operating and financial statements prepared to evaluate their financial feasibility. The 9-hole regulation length course with training facility was deemed to have the highest potential for economic success. The facility would appeal to a wide-range of golfers, it would also provide skill development amenities that will help expand the abilities of golfers in the area while creating a lucrative revenue source that helps sustain the traditional golf course operations. Detailed data regarding this analysis is available in the final report.

Based on the market and financial analysis data, the project team developed a final master plan for the site. The proposed master plan (shown below) includes the following features:

- A clubhouse (CH);
- A maintenance building (mb);
- A two-ended driving range;
- A short game practice area (sg);
- A bunker game practice area (bg); and
- A putting green (pg).

This layout offers a regulation par (35) along with a full Learning Center. In addition, to satisfy the market and financial considerations, the proposed master plan offers a unique facility that would serve to significantly improve the aesthetics of the Main Street site while providing increased environmental protection for the Town’s water supply.

The results of the Comprehensive Redevelopment Planning and Open Space Creation activities developed and presented in the Main Street Redevelopment Analysis Report indicated that the Main Street site would be suitable for use as a golf course and/or golf training facility; there is a strong and increasing demand for golf facilities in the market area; the financing of the preferred facility would be possible, especially if additional grant funding is identified and made available; and finally the assessment, remediation (as required) and redevelopment of this site as a recreational facility would address the Town’s concerns regarding potential impacts to the water supply aquifer.

In order to continue to explore the potential redevelopment of the Main Street site, the Town needs to complete a comprehensive environmental site assessment of the parcels to identify past impacts and remedial requirements along with wetlands limits and mitigation requirements. This information is necessary to finalize the financial analysis of the project viability. In addition, the Town needs to continue to evaluate private development options and to solicit interest from private developers in order to explore all redevelopment options. However, the consensus to date is that this project offers a strong potential for successful redevelopment and future recreational use of the Main Street parcels along with potential stimulation of complementary uses on adjacent sites.