NBA STAMPs Out Blight in Mantua

The National Brownfield Association (NBA) recently piloted Site Technical Assistance for Municipal Properties (STAMP) in Mantua Township, New Jersey. The township was chosen by the NBA to receive technical redevelopment advice and assistance on a brownfield property under a new program the NBA developed with pilot funding from U.S. EPA.

“STAMP has focused our attention on getting an under-utilized eyesore of a site moving forward toward productive redevelopment,” stated Timothy Chell, Mayor, Mantua Township. ”The expertise provided in the STAMP is really making a difference.”

The Struthers Dunn site was selected as the model for the project and on May 31 a team of brownfield redevelopment experts, who are NBA members, visited the site and provided their suggestions.

“The concept of spending only one day in a community to produce real brownfield redevelopment options and a process for achieving results seemed extremely ambitious, but it really worked,” Don Eisen, a member of the redevelopment team said.

STAMP’s unbiased assessment of the site was encouraging, according to Phyllis Bross, of the law firm Parker McKay. “The township now has the energy necessary to explore various redevelopment scenarios, using the valuable information gained from this experience and avoiding lost time and lost tax revenues.”

The NBA’s first Brownfield Champion award was given at the STAMP workshop to Michelle Bruner, Mantua Township economic development consultant, in recognition of her hard work championing redevelopment in Mantua. The NBA plans to name other Brownfield Champions in the future.

Bruner commented, “It was an amazing experience to be a part of the NBA STAMP project for Mantua Township. I saw first hand how local government, volunteers and your national representatives worked closely together to achieve a greater goal ... UNIVERSAL REVITALIZATION!” BFN