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EPA and Kraft Group Holding Aug. 4 Conference on Redeveloping Contaminated Properties

Release Date: 07/21/04
Contact Information: Contact: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

For Immediate Release: July 21, 2004; Release # 04-07-20

BOSTON - EPA’s New England Office and the Kraft Group, owners of the New England Patriots, are holding a conference Wednesday, Aug. 4, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to educate developers and local officials about opportunities for redeveloping contaminated properties in New England.

The all-day conference, "Improve Your Field Position: Contaminated to Commercially Viable," is designed to help developers, local officials and federal/state agencies share information and to encourage partnerships that will result in more properties being reused.

“New England is uniquely positioned with thousands of underutilized properties that are ripe for redevelopment,” said EPA's regional administrator Robert W. Varney, who will speak on one of the panels. “This conference is a golden opportunity for developers and public officials to learn about the many opportunities that exist for turning these 'eyesore' properties into community jewels.”

Government policymakers, experts on state and federal cleanup programs and developers with experience in developing contaminated sites will speak at the conference. Booths will offer information on cleanup programs, redevelopment tools and other key topics. New England towns and cities will also have booths to showcase their properties.

The keynote speaker at lunch will be Rob Pratt, director of the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust, which has earmarked more than $100 million of grants, loans and other financial support for renewable energy projects in Massachusetts. Pratt will be joined by Brockton officials who will discuss the city’s unique redevelopment of a 10-acre parcel for a solar-panel “Brightfields” facility.

The fee for attending the conference is $40 and pre-registration is required. Registration forms and conference fees must be received by July 29. For more information on registration and the conference, visit the agency's web site at https://www.epa.gov/ne/brownfields/iyfp/.

The following organizations are endorsers of the conference: the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Green Roundtable, the Urban Land Institute Boston, the National Brownfields Association and Grow Smart Rhode Island.

The Kraft Group is a major player in the world of business, with one of its primary business sectors being real estate development, including redevelopment of Brownfields parcels.
The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., concluding with a one-hour tour of Gillette Stadium and the team’s training camp facilities.

Related Information:
NE Brownfields Web site
NE Brownfields Success Stories