Seymour receives $500k grant to begin cleanup polluted sites

Seymour is receiving a half million dollar federal grant to start cleaning up some polluted sites around the community.

The city announced this week that the $500,000 in grant money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would be used for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites. Brownfield sites are locations where property has been abandoned or underutilized because redevelopment is hampered due to real or perceived pollution on the property. According to the city, it will conduct up to 24 site assessments and develop 5 to 10 cleanup plans. The money will also be used to update a list of brownfield sites and conduct community engagement activities about the site.

The priority sites include former downtown industrial and commercial sites such as former tire shops, a former auto repair and body shop, a former gas station, and a former paper mill.

Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson said the city recently saw the transformation of a former brownfield site into a $12.5 million apartment complex. This grant will help evaluate other properties to determine what needs to be done to make them marketable, he said.