BALTIMORE (October 29, 1997) -- CSX Transportation's Bolt and Forge property in Cumberland has been accepted into Maryland's Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Program that encourages the re-use of abandoned or underutilized industrial sites and is a key component of Governor Parris N. Glendening's Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation initiative.

The Voluntary Cleanup Program, which is administered by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), streamlines the cleanup process and provides limited liability to the developer upon completion of an agreed upon cleanup plan. CSX has completed an environmental assessment of the site and must now submit a plan to MDE to address contamination at the site.

"This is an important milestone for Western Maryland," Governor Glendening said. "This designation should put prospective purchasers, lessees and their lenders at greater ease about hazardous waste issues at the site, and serve as a model for developers who are considering reclaiming abandoned or underutilized industrial sites and adjacent communities."

CSX, which plans to sell the site for redevelopment into a shopping center anchored by a supermarket, seeks to complete the remediation of the site and obtain a certificate of completion from MDE. A purchaser who enters the Voluntary Cleanup Program would receive liability assurances and would be eligible for the Department of Business and Economic Development's Brownfield Revitalization Program, which provide financial incentives for development.

From 1920 to the early 1970s, the site was used for steel bolt fabrication and metal forging for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. After the 1970s, the property housed the railroad's engineering department. A rolling mill, bolt and forge shop, metal fabrication shop, machine shop, metal store house, shear shed, filing shed, garages, and water and pump house also existed on the site, but were razed in the mid-1980s.

"For years this 34-acre parcel near downtown Cumberland known as the `Rolling Mill' property has hindered the city's revitilization efforts. The passage of the brownfields legislation last year has sparked activity on this site that in concert with other activities like Canal Place will lead to the commercial revitilization of downtown Cumberland," stated Cumberland Mayor Edward C. Athey.

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