Brownfield Properties

We are pleased to advise you that the Township of Mantua is initiating the process of identifying and inventorying its “brownfield” properties. Under New Jersey law, a “Brownfield” is defined as any “former or current commercial or industrial site currently vacant or underutilized, and on which there has been, or there is suspected to have been, a discharge of a contaminant.”

Under Brownfield initiative programs, our State and Federal governments are willing to provide extraordinary guidance and support, including potential financial assistance and certain liability relief, with respect to brownfields to help us to revitalize our community.

Using the brownfields definition above, if you believe that you own property (or any property within the borders of Mantua Township) that may be a “brownfields,” please provide us with the following information, for each such property. If you are not certain about all of the requested information, please indicate that, and will attempt to find the missing information on our own.

Address of the potential brownfields property;

Lot(s); Block(s) designated for the property;

Owner(s) of the property;

Current use of the property (if abandoned, please indicate so);

Former use(s) of the property, and

Why you suspect that there may have been a discharge of a contaminant at the property.

Please Note that this is not a request for residents to report, or even allege, that some person or company has caused contamination of a property, so please do not include such allegations in your response to this letter. That is clearly not the purpose of this effort. Rather, it is a plea for residents of Mantua Township to join together as partners to help formulate an inventory of our potential brownfields so that we may seek State and Federal assistance that we believe our community richly deserves. This is an opportunity to transform our neighborhoods, for ourselves and for our future generations.

Please supply this information no later than Monday, April 24, 2006. Information can be mailed or dropped off at the Mantua Township Clerk’s Office, 401 Main Street, Mantua, New Jersey 08051 during regular business hours.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

TIMOTHY W. CHELL, MAYOR