U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin Friday presented the Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA and its Vice President of Facilities, Michael Troupe, with a 2015 Excellence in Site Reuse Award. 

EPA established the Excellence in Site Reuse award to recognize those who have created extraordinary results in revitalizing and reusing formerly contaminated sites.

This EPA Regional award recognizes the efforts leading to the exceptional redevelopment of a major portion of the Havertown PCP Superfund Site in Delaware County into a community YMCA, providing a recreational space and family-friendly programs for Haverford residents.

“The Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA, under the leadership of Michael Troupe, is a safe, healthy and beautiful community asset,” said EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Innovative and beneficial reuse of Superfund sites, such as this one, supports economic growth and a more sustainable community.”

Since 2010, a portion of the Havertown PCP Superfund Site has been transformed from an abandoned building to a visually stunning $22.5 million, 75,000-square foot recreational facility.

While EPA’s remedy for the site was being selected, the YMCA, working with the Township of Haverford, proposed to redevelop a portion of the Superfund site.

The Haverford Area YMCA is built on property on which a former Bubble Gum Factory existed.  The Bubble Gum Factory was adjacent to the former industrial National Wood Preservers property whose processes contaminated both soil and groundwater that are currently being addressed by EPA’s Superfund program.

The YMCA has taken precautionary measures by installing a state-of-the-art vapor intrusion protection system to fully protect its facility and members, and prevent any potentially harmful vapors from contaminated groundwater from entering the building.

In addition to putting the land into positive reuse, the YMCA built in sustainability features: LED exterior lighting; a rain recovery system for lawn and plant irrigation; and, the lobby and hallways built with ‘green’ recycled floor material.

Philadelphia Freedom Valley YMCA network is one of the fastest growing YMCA networks in the country with 20 locations.  That network includes the Haverford Area YMCA, which employs up to 400 people throughout the year and serves over 24,500 members.

To date, this YMCA has taught more than 14,000 people how to swim and enrolled over 33,000 people in their various programs.

For more information on federal Superfund cleanups, visit EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Superfund webpage.

10/12/2015