Friday, October 14, 2011

Mass. AG’s office moves Holyoke data center forward

By Eric Convey, Boston Business Journal

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s offce said Friday that it reached a deal with developers that should advance construction of a computing center in Holyoke.

The deal, Coakley’s office said, includes a promise not to sue property owner Holyoke Gas & Electric as a nonprofit moves forward with plans for the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center.

The site formerly belonged to Mastex Industries.

“The agreement limits the liability related to contamination on the property in exchange for promises to clean up the property and pursue the redevelopment project,” Coakley’s office wrote in a new release.

Coakley added: “This agreement will help turn an old industrial site into a key part of Holyoke’s economic future. By shielding property owners and developers from liability, Brownfields Covenants can give property owners and developers the protections they need to invest in contaminated properties and revitalize urban communities and the economy.”

The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center Inc. was formed by: University of Massachusetts, Boston University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northeastern University.

According to a statement from Coakley’s office, the property was contaminated with a smorgasbord of toxic materials including PCBs, asbestos and chlorinated solvents before Holyoke Gas & Electric acquired it.

The parcel encompasses 8.6 acres on Bigelow Street in Holyoke. The computing center will draw power from a hydro-electric plant using water diverted from the Connecticut River through a system that more than a century ago powered mills in Holyoke. When announced back in 2009, the center was targeted for a 2011 completion date.

In March 2010, Gov. Patrick committed $25 million in state funds to the project, and tagged the area around the center’s future home of Holyoke as the Holyoke Innovation District. All told, the Green High Performance Computing Center will get $65 million in funding, including $40 million from a group of universities.