BALTIMORE, MD (April 14, 2005) – The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is scheduled to begin soil sampling at the Highway Petroleum Sales abandoned gas station at 1002 Virginia Avenue in Cumberland on April 27. MDE is testing the site for potential contamination as part of the department’s Brownfield Assessment Project.

A Brownfield site is property where redevelopment may be complicated by contamination from prior use. MDE has received federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Site Assessment Initiative to conduct an investigation for potential contamination at the Highway Petroleum Sales abandoned gas station site. The initiative is intended to promote economic development, especially in distressed urban areas, by identifying and assessing underutilized properties for future redevelopment.

MDE expects to have testing results back in July 2005. The Technical Assistance for Brownfield Communities (TAB) Program of the University of Maryland School of Nursing is coordinating community outreach for the project. TAB and MDE will hold a community meeting at that time to share the results and discuss the next steps in the Brownfield redevelopment process.

For more information, please contact: Robyn Gilden, TAB Program Manager, at 410-706-4803 or rgilden@son.umaryland.edu.

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