Norwich and Preston were among eight towns to receive brownfields assessment money from the state Department of Economic and Community Development, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday. Four other municipalities across the state received redevelopment grants.

Norwich will receive $200,000 to investigate potential contamination at 26 Shipping St., where the city is tearing down a derelict building, and Preston will receive $165,000 to complete the contamination assessment of "areas of concern" at the former Norwich Hospital Preston Riverwalk redevelopment property.

Sean Nugent, chairman of the Preston Redevelopment Agency, said the new funding is the last piece the town needs to assess property on the former state hospital campus for potential contamination.

He said the money will assess so-called "areas of concern" where buildings had been located and areas where the state had stored debris.

"We're very appreciative of the DECD and the state for this support," Nugent said. "We know it's a highly competitive grant process."

Nugent said town officials went through a 30-minute interview with DECD officials as part of the grant application.

Preston next is awaiting word on a $1.25 million state Urban Act grant application that would help nearly complete the property cleanup.

In Norwich, city officials have wanted to clean up the Shipping Street former industrial district along the Thames River for years.

The city received a state brownfields assessment grant for property along the river where the city hopes to develop a boat launch — relocating the existing launch at Howard T. Brown Park at Norwich Harbor.

The new $200,000 grant will assess city-owned property across the street and across the Central New England freight railroad tracks from the proposed boat launch site. The city several years ago received federal Environmental Protection Agency funds to assess and demolish a 15,000-square-foot former industrial building taken for back taxes in 2000.

The new money will be used to assess the remainder of the property for possible future uses in conjunction with the proposed boat launch, said Gary Evans, community development supervisor who also works on brownfields grant applications.

Mayor Deberey Hinchey said there are no specific plans yet for the property, but it is an important piece of the area targeted for redevelopment.

"I'm so pleased," Hinchey said. "We just keep taking little steps to renovate that property. ... This money is to do the assessment and see what's in there. Depending on what's there, we can decide what we want to put there in concert with the boat launch."

The 1.33-acre parcel could serve as parking for the boat launch. Portions of the property lie outside the Thames River floodplain and could support development, Evans said.

"Remediating and redeveloping these sites helps jumpstart local economies by rehabilitating areas," Malloy said in the news release announcing $7 million in eight brownfields assessment and four redevelopment grants to 12 locations statewide, "putting them back into use for development, and creating jobs for residents. Over the last few years we’ve made historic investments in remediating contaminated properties for redevelopment, and these additional projects further demonstrate our commitment to our cities and towns."

c.bessette@theday.com

Twitter: @Bessettetheday