August 21, 2002—Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) congratulated Liberty Electronics and the Franklin Industrial and Commercial Development Authority (FICDA) for breathing new life into an old brownfield site in Franklin, Pa. The land hosted an asbestos manufacturing plant over 100 years ago.
Liberty Electronics and its 220 employees recently moved into a new 46,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and office building on the three-acre brownfield property. Construction began after the extent of contamination from the former asbestos operation was documented and then cleaned up. Liberty Electronics is a contract manufacturer that specializes in cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, and electro-mechanical assemblies that can be found in applications from space to underwater products.
The FICDA then turned Liberty Electronics’ old 27,000-square-foot building into a Smart Building called the Emerging Technologies Center (ETC) to provide resources for new and existing businesses. The ETC provides resources that small businesses can’t afford individually, such as high-speed Internet access, digital security, conference and training rooms with high-tech amenities, a sound stage and control room, and clerical support.
FICDA acquired the brownfield site from Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co. in 1985. When the old manufacturing plant was demolished in 1993, FICDA removed 270 tons of asbestos-contaminated soil and filled in the excavation with clean fill. The new building, now occupied by Liberty Electronics, and the adjacent parking lot cover the limited amount of remaining asbestos. The deed for the property restricts its use for industrial purposes only and prohibits the use of groundwater at the site.
Passed in 1995, Act 2 established DEP’s Land Recycling Program, which sets cleanup standards for prospective buyers and the government, provides special incentives for developing abandoned industrial sites, releases responsible parties from liability when cleanup standards are met, establishes deadlines for DEP actions, and provides funding for environmental studies and cleanups.
For more information on the Land Recycling Program, visit the PA PowerPort, PA Keyword: “land recycling.”
