EPA: ‘Most complicated’ remediation of Raymark waste still ahead in Stratford
Richard Chumney
STRATFORD — Crews have now extracted more than 32,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil polluted by the defunct Raymark Industries, according to an update from Jim DiLorenzo, an environmental engineer with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The yearslong cleanup effort is still on schedule to conclude by the end of 2024, but DiLorenzo warned at a public meeting Wednesday night that roughly 70,000 cubic yards of toxic waste remains buried on the western bank of the Housatonic River and must be remediated.
“Just like lima beans on your plate, we have the hardest and most distasteful properties left to do,” DiLorenzo said. “They’re going to be the most complicated that we still have ahead of us.”
Some of the largest remaining sites eyed for remediation include Beacon Point — a riverside landing containing an estimated 11,000 cubic yards of toxic soil — as well as car dealerships and other spots along Ferry Boulevard and Ferry Creek.
DiLorenzo said the team of environmental regulators, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, town officials and contractors are currently working to remove about 5,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the Hitchcock Marine, including 500 cubic yards of especially dangerous waste that must be treated before being disposed elsewhere.
“They’re just wrapping that up now,” he said, adding they plan to finish work at the site sometime in August.
The cleanup, launched in mid-2018, is aimed at removing contaminated soil that was polluted with cancer-causing agents such as asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, by Raymark Industries, an automotive parts manufacturer that dumped waste across the town, according to the Raymark Community Advisory Group.
After removal, most of the contaminants are sent to the former Raybestos Memorial Field where the toxic soil is being consolidated. Engineers are also “capping” the waste with a clay-type material to prevent the toxic chemicals from emerging from the ground. Eventually, a building may be constructed on the site.
DiLorenzo said that as of this month nearly 2,800 truckloads of waste have been transported to the field. Another 231 truckloads of hazardous waste have been transported to a disposal site outside of the town.
According to a timeline presented at the meeting, crews will start to remediate Beacon Point in the late summer and continue into the early fall. The work will then be paused and resumed in the winter of 2023 when there is less activity at the boat landing.
The EPA plans to address the upper portion of Ferry Boulevard and spots along Ferry Creek throughout next year. Other sites in need of remediation — including along Lockwood Avenue — have not been scheduled.
By the time the project is expected to end in 2024, somewhere between 100,000 to 125,000 cubic yards of toxic soil will have been extracted and consolidated at the Raybestos field, DiLorenzo said.
In addition to remediation, the team has also made progress on a new stormwater conveyance system built to handle what is expected to be significant runoff from the consolidation field, which is designed to prevent rainwater from seeping into the ground.
Mike Looney, an Army Corps of Engineers project manager, said crews will start work next month on a large pump station located at the edge of the river. The station, which will take up to 24 months to complete, will operate during significant storms and other high water events.
The Raymark Community Advisory Group will hold its next public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28. More information about the ongoing cleanup effort can be found at stratfordct.gov/raymark.
Ken Borsuk
GREENWICH — Drivers heading down Greenwich Avenue have been dodging construction all summer with work underway on the sewers.
Construction began this week between Lewis Street and Amogerone Crossway, which goes from about 86 Greenwich Ave. to 120 Greenwich Ave. This is phase six of the multipart project, which is slowly moving up Greenwich Avenue.
Work started between the intersections with Railroad Avenue and Grigg Street in June.
The sewer rehabilitation work requires digging into the road to expose the sewer main, according to the Department of Public Works.
As part of the work, a small section of the sanitary sewer main is replaced, DPW said. So far, the construction has not disrupted any services or forced a full closure of the road or sidewalk.
This work is expected to lead into future paving improvements.
“This is preventive infrastructure maintenance to improve the longevity and reliability of critical sewer infrastructure and is best completed ahead of paving, which is anticipated in Greenwich Avenue’s future,” DPW said. It also urged drivers on Greenwich Avenue to move slowly and stay alert.
The project will move up Greenwich Avenue until it meets West Putnam Avenue. The DPW anticipates the work will be done this fall.
“The purpose of this work is to provide many continued years of service life to the critical sewer infrastructure that serves the community and limit the potential for digging up the road for sewer repairs after any future paving is performed along Greenwich Avenue,” DPW said. “Planned, preventative infrastructure maintenance like this results in a lower project cost and less disruption to the community as a whole and means the likelihood of a system failure is much reduced.”
This sewer work is separate from other planned improvements along Greenwich Avenue, including the controversial bumpout project slated for the intersections with Havemeyer Place and Arch Street as well as Fawcett Place and Grigg Street. Construction work on those improvements is expected to begin next spring.
The construction is slated to take place from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, but DPW warned it “may extend beyond 4 on a site-specific basis due to site conditions.”
The DPW has set up a website for updates about the project at www.greenwichct.gov/2256/Greenwich-Avenue-Sewer-Rehabilitation.
$8.8 million Norwich Main Street development project moving forward
Claire Bessette
Norwich — One of several pending Main Street development projects received a major push forward this week, with $4.95 million in private financing approved for the planned $8.8 million renovation of two large buildings at 77-91 Main St.
The two-building complex was the site of a proposed heritage museum in the 1990s that eventually fell through after receiving state grants to stabilize the 1880 buildings.
Kevin Brown, president of the Norwich Community Development Corp., told the NCDC board of directors Thursday that project developer and building owner Norwich Luxury Apartments LLC received a commitment letter Wednesday for the loan.
The City Council last September approved $800,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project, split into a $400,000 loan and a $400,000 building code corrections grant.
“We’re excited to get started,” project attorney Abraham Gordon said Thursday. “We submitted permits now. Once we get that approved, we will jump right in, sometime next month. We definitely feel it will be a great addition to Norwich downtown.”
Brown called the announcement a milestone for downtown and said the project should be joined by several other developments soon that will help transform Main Street. Norwich Luxury Apartments will occupy two historical buildings across from the city’s Main Street parking garage. The buildings front on Main and Water streets. In addition to the apartments, the plans unveiled last summer called for eight retail spaces on Main and Water street levels.
Other projects slated to receive city support through ARPA funds include a pending purchase and redevelopment of the Reid & Hughes building at 193-201 Main St. for 17 apartments and two commercial spaces; a boutique hotel planned for the former Elks Club building at 352 Main St. and redevelopment of the former YMCA at 337 Main St. into the headquarters for Mattern Construction.
NCDC, which administers the city’s economic development ARPA funding, will turn over the $400,000 no-interest city loan to the project as soon Norwich Luxury Apartments closes on its private financing. The $400,000 code correction grant will be turned over after the project is completed, as reimbursement for work done.
Gordon said construction is expected to take eight to 12 months, given anticipated delays in obtaining supplies and construction materials.
The project briefly ran into a snag last summer, when the City Council directed NCDC to limit ARPA-funded economic development projects to a maximum of $300,000 each. A month later, the council approved a specific grant/loan package to Norwich Luxury Apartments LLC.