School Building Rehab to Dig Up 2002 Arsenic Test Results

At the request of the Conservation Commission, the School Building Rehabilitation Committee said Monday night that it will re-examine 2002 data related to arsenic levels in the ground near the railroad bed where construction will take place.

If those levels don't reach a reportable status according to Department of Environmental Protection guidelines, then construction of the new road that crews will build on the railroad tracks can move forward when the time comes.

The board wants to deal with any potential issues as soon as they arise so work won't be delayed, committee chairman Andy Lawler said.

The Conservation Commission wants Lawler's committee to present results from tests – whether using 2002 data or to re-run tests – and to examine potential issues with the water table in the area.

In 2002, the town tested the soil near the railroad bed, and the DEP, according to records examined by the committee, told the town that the levels were below any level of concern.

The committee said it would contact the DEP to access the 8-year-old data immediately.

The town received permission from the DEP to put debris from street sweeps on top of the soil that contained arsenic, and permission to build a bike path that never materialized.

Committee members vocalized an assumption that if the DEP signed off on a bike path, then the Conservation Commission should approve a road in the same location.

If more than a reportable amount of arsenic is found in either 2002 test samples, or any new samples ordered by the committee, it wouldn't delay groundbreaking construction slated to begin in October. Construction of the road over the railroad bed isn't necessary until spring 2012, Lawler said after the meeting.

Consultants for the Building Rehab Committee told the committee that the water table was below the street sweep debris and any potential arsenic deposits, which they say should quell fears from the Conservation Commission that arsenic would run down into Mother Brook.