Worcester is receiving $373,000 in federal loans to clean contaminated sites including the planned Polar Park and a related mixed-use development.
The funding, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday, will be available for a variety of so-called brownfield clean-up projects, including land on both sides of Madison Street contaminated by industrial use by the company Wyman-Gordon.
A $101-million ballpark for the Pawtucket Red Sox is planned for the property, with construction to start in the coming months, joined by a roughly $140-million development with a hotel, residences and commercial space.
A contract between the city and the team says significant clean-up has already taken place and conditions today are manageable. The ballpark is slated to open in April 2021, with some parts of the mixed-use development opening earlier that year. No timeline has yet been publicized for starting construction on that project.
Other properties eligible for the clean-up funds include 24 Merrick St., where an affordable housing development is planned, and 261 Clover St., which is slated for multi-family housing.
The EPA program is a revolving loan in which loan amounts are repaid to provide funding for future projects. Worcester’s funding was part of more than $9 million given for 24 projects nationally on Thursday. The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission also received $373,000.
