Introduction

The creation of the Save the Bay Center in Providence, Rhode Island transformed a landfill into an eco-friendly coastal community resource. This project involved brownfield remediation, green building, marine conservation, habitat restoration, public access to the Bay, and opportunities for education about both the Bay and sustainable development practices. The two main goals of the project were to 1) create a model for environmentally sound shoreline development that could inspire and guide future waterfront development and 2) broaden and deepen the community connection the Bay.

Rhode Island , with a land area of 1,214 is the smallest state in the country. It's known as the Ocean State because despite its small size it has over 400 miles of coastline. This makes Narragansett Bay an extremely important resource. Save the Bay is a non-profit organization whose mission is to "ensure that the environmental quality of Narragansett Bay and its watershed is restored and protected from the harmful effects of human activity". In the mid 1990s the organization realized they had outgrown the space they were renting and they sought a new environmentally responsible site and design reflective of their mission. Factors, which influenced site selection included:

• Proximity to the bay to support water-based Bay education and habitat restoration programs
• Proximity to the urban population (which they felt was disconnected from Narragansett Bay)
• Creation of a model for responsible waterfront development
• Reclamation a brownfield site to 1) reinforce Save the Bay's commitment to Smart Growth and sustainable development; and 2) eliminate current and future environmental threats to the community and watershed

EPA defines a brownfield as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant". Redevelopment of brownfield properties builds on prior public and private investment, takes advantage of existing infrastructure and helps to revitalize communities.

After considering a number of brownfields sites in the Providence area, they decided on Fields Point, a 6.07-acre site along the Providence River three miles from downtown Providence. The site is adjacent to Johnson & Wales University 's Harborside Campus. Johnson & Wales partnered with Save the Bay and signed a long term $1 per year lease with the organization in return for the clean up and development of the site.

A concentration of methane gas, lead, and arsenic was left on Fields Point from decades of use as an industrial site and later as a city dump. From looking at historical photographs Save the Bay estimates that during the dump's operation 22 acres of the Providence River was filled with refuse dumped directly into the water (by 1965 the shoreline was connected to Sunshine Island which was previously 500 yards away).

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, before this shoreline location was dramatically altered and degraded Fields Point had been a popular getaway for Providence residents who strolled the boardwalk, watched the ships go by, and dined at Captain Atwood's Clambake. Next a children's hospital operated on the site until it was destroyed in the 1938 hurricane. Just prior to serving as a dump, Field's Point was use as a naval shipyard.

To return this historic site to a safe and vibrant community oriented use took great financial means, political will, and expertise from a variety of disciplines. In 1999, Save the Bay was awarded an EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) for the Fields Point to clarify environmental problems and create a basis for estimating cleanup costs. During the spring and summer of 2001 fieldwork was conducted on the site. The TBA program assisted Save the Bay in writing a Remedial Action Work Plan and Engineering Evaluation Cost Analysis for the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund. Suggestions for remedial action included placing a permeable soil cover of at least two feet of clean soil over the entire site to prevent exposure to users from the contaminated soils, and locating the building on the portion of the site with the lowest methane concentrations.

Major Funding sources for the projects included:

• NOAA National Ocean Service
• NOAA -Restore America 's Estuaries
• EPA -Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund Administered though the RI Economic Development Corporation
• US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council- Corporate Wetlands Restoration Program
• Corporate, Foundation, and individual support

The project was completed in 2005 and is estimated in total to have cost $7.1 million ($5 million for the building and $2 million in land preparation). It can further be broken down in the following cost summary.