Great Barrington — A toxic waste site in the heart of town on Main Street is in limbo as pollution from a former dry cleaners continues to spread, and as potential redevelopers are thwarted by both an environmental nightmare and the sellers’ need to capture every last penny in order to pay back the town for taxes, and the state for assessment work at the site.
The second phase of an investigation into the extent of pollution was completed in September, and Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin says the town’s getting that state grant to do this most recent environmental study was a big step forward in ultimately finding a way to clean up the Ried Cleaners property and get it back on the tax rolls.
Both Tabakin and Town Planner Chris Rembold said there may be more from the MassDevelopment Brownfields Program, where that $91,000 grant came from and some extra funding through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission’s (BRPC) EPA-funded brownfield program, for which $20,000 was granted for some of the Ried site assessment work.
Tabakin says the issue may force some decision-making about the role of the town and private property owners for the sake of economic development and environmental clean up. “We have to hold the responsible parties’ feet to the fire but also be practical,” she said. “We want it cleaned up and on the tax rolls.”
State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox) was instrumental in getting that MassDevelopment grant. He says that for the “serious” person with the right plan, there’s more.
“We have a lot of money in [the brownfield program] and that’s what it’s there for,” Pignatelli said. “It’s not going to pay for 100 percent. The state’s not going to come in and clean up a private piece a property for someone to sell or make a big profit.”
He said while MassDevelopment has “a great track record of cleaning up brownfields,” it’s a “competitive grant.” He also said there’s federal money to be had, and U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Springfield), for instance, has helped send some of those dollars for the redevelopment of the Eagle Mill complex in Lee, the developer of which has over a $1 million in asbestos and other remediation to contend with.
BRPC’s Melissa Provencher says that while BRPC’s brownfield program has exhausted all its available grant money, they reapplied to the EPA for a total of $400,000 in assessment funds. The decision should be forthcoming around May or June, she added, and the funds not available until October 1. “It’s a highly competitive program, unfortunately,” she said. “But it’s a very successful program. We are hopeful…but we have to wait and see.”
Provencher said BRPC also manages an EPA-funded revolving loan fund.
Rembold said this last study of the Ried site “filled in a lot of gaps” in terms of understanding the extent of the pollution from the site and any impact on public health.
The Ried site study involved not only soil sampling to determine exactly what chemicals are traveling in groundwater and how far, but also indoor air sampling in several surrounding buildings, including the Post Office next door. The study left questions about exposure risks, and said more air testing was required to complete the assessment. The Post Office basement air was found to have tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and napthalene vapor, posing a “chronic risk” to postal workers working in the basement. One sample showed levels of vapor on the Main Floor. The US Postal Service legal department in Windsor, Connecticut has not responded to calls for comment.
The contaminants, which are also heading towards the Housatonic River, and may already be there, were also found to have gone airborne in both 9 Rosseter Street and 11 Rosseter Street, but were below MassDEP risk standards. The Salisbury Bank building tested clean, according to the owner.
But some residents are concerned about the air in the Mason Library basement, given the southeast flow of contaminated groundwater. Tabakin said if MassDEP thought there were such a risk it would have forced action. “There’s no indication that the library is a problem,” Tabakin said, adding that if there are future concerns, the town would find a way to take air samples.
A half dozen offers have been made on the property in the nearly 10 years since the Ried family retired and closed the doors after 54 years of operation. The cleaning facility where the tanks of chemicals were located and where the dry cleaning took place sat behind the remaining building on Main Street and is now demolished.
Many of the offers to buy the property, which is listed by Isgood Realty for $169,000, fell apart over the cost of the cleanup and future liability over unknowns about the full extent of the damage. A study is required, for instance, to determine whether the contaminants have reached bedrock, where the groundwater can move more quickly. A full cleanup is estimated at around $1.6 million, according to Rembold, though there are ways to partially remediate for less.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the state’s Brownfield Covenant Program, through the Brownfields Act of 1998, may help a potential buyer get “significant liability relief and financial incentives” to redevelop the site. The office works with other agencies involved in brownfield cleanups and will work with prospective purchasers of contaminated properties, and in some instances will enter into a Brownfields Covenant Not to Sue Agreement. “In exchange for a commitment to clean up a site and to undertake a project that contributes to the economic or physical revitalization of the community, we can provide individually-tailored liability relief to property owners and developers at the most difficult sites.” The Attorney General’s office did not return calls asking for more detail.
Pignatelli says he’s still “here to help” ask for state money and smooth the way for economic development, particularly in such an important location in what he says is a vibrant town. “As a state legislator, that’s what I do,” he added. “It’s a great project if we can get somebody serious about it.”
