Presentation:
"It's Not About the Contamination: A Brownfields Success Story from Many Perspectives"

In April, 2011, Muriel S. Robinette presented a poster illustrating the collaborative nature of a successful Brownfields redevelopment. The poster's basis was New England EnviroStrategies' recent collaboration with Windham Regional Commission, Downs Rachlin & Martin, Commonwealth Dairy, and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources for Commonwealth Dairy's new facility in Brattleboro, VT.

On March 23, 2011, Commonwealth Dairy welcomed guests to its grand opening in Brattleboro, Vermont. Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont led a distinguished group of speakers and guests celebrating the successful opening of the $32 million, state-of-the-art, Class II dairy processing facility. The 39,000-square foot production plant, built on 6 acres of land formerly occupied by an auto salvage yard, will initially process over 100 million pounds of milk per year, integrates LEED principles into its design, and will ultimately utilize alternative energy sources to provide for much of its energy needs. The plant provides 35 new jobs in the Brattleboro area.

The Commonwealth Dairy story is one of a successful brownfields redevelopment. What marked this effort, as well as other successful brownfields, was the recognition that contamination was only part of the story, indeed only one among many challenges to overcome in the process. Successful redevelopment of an abandoned or underutilized property only happens when many parties with various perspectives resources and responsibilities work collaboratively towards a common goal of creating value in a community. Redevelopment happens with thoughtful site selection, imaginative financing, strong negotiation and communication efforts, proactive and supportive redevelopment, municipal and planning entities, practical and nimble application of regulatory requirements, priority responses to tight schedules and respect for construction schedules. Residual contamination on a site is just one piece of the puzzle.

To learn more about this presentation, please view the poster above (click it to enlarge) and download the presentation document.