NPDC site cleanup contract approved

Remediation company pledges to be "very safety conscious"

By: Jake Uitti
   MONTGOMERY — Officials from Weston Solutions Inc. pledged to be "very safety conscious" when working to remediate the former North Princeton Developmental Center as the Township Committee on Thursday approved the contract that transfers the environmental liability to Weston and obligates Weston to do the cleanup of the site.
   Jay Motwani, the director of industrial systems for Weston, said there is arsenic on the site, as well as asbestos in the pipe system that traverses most of the property, now called Skillman Village.
   The arsenic will require more study on Weston’s part, Mayor Louise Wilson said, as it may be at a naturally occurring level.
   The asbestos, which is contained in thousands of feet of asbestos-covered steam pipes, is the highest priority, the mayor said.
   In addition, there is some soil and groundwater contamination. Some of the soil will be removed and the ground water will involve onsite remediation.
   Seven-acre Sylvan Lake, located in the southwest portion of the site, will also be dredged and the dam in the lake will be fixed by Weston.
   Weston representatives said they would be removing the asbestos-covered steam pipes near Village Elementary School while school is not in session. Work will be done in the first week of April, during the district’s spring break week, and the rest of the work near the school will be done in the summer months.
   The work not in proximity to the school will be done while school is in session.
   This raised concerns by some township residents, including Court Throckmorton, who said the remediation would be a potential hazard to the students in the school.
   To help ease the minds of residents, the committee on Thursday also approved a contract with JM Sorge, an environmental consulting firm, which will independently monitor the activities of Weston. The company will use electronic monitoring devices in real time.
   "We felt that it was wise to have that extra layer of oversight being done by people who really do understand what it is that Weston needs to do," Mayor Wilson said.
   The committee said it would attempt to put the data from the cleanup on the township Web site to keep residents informed.
   To keep particles from being released in the air during the remediation process, Mr. Motwani said the materials would be wetted down. The materials would also be monitored as they are moved by licensed haulers out of the site. In addition, the vehicles used to haul the materials will be decontaminated.
   The contaminated, asbestos-covered pipes will be cut and put in large plastic bags and hauled away, Mr. Motwani said, and the areas being worked on will be monitored both by JM Sorge and by Weston.
   Township Committeeman John Warms suggested that there be monitors put in Village Elementary School and around the playgrounds.
   Although monitors are already planned in locations between the areas of remediation and the school, Mr. Warms said it would a good idea to know if anything did travel to Village Elementary.
   Mr. Motwani said a health and safety plan will be drafted before work begins on the site.
   Mayor Wilson said the safety plan will meet state and federal requirements and must be done to the satisfaction of the township.
   "People will have the opportunity to see and comment and offer suggestions" on the health and safety plan, Mayor Wilson said.
   Weston, as part of its deal with the township, also takes all of the risk with the site. If a mistake is made by Weston, if there is anything unknown found on the site or if the work takes longer than anticipated, Weston is responsible.
   "The contract obligates Weston to remediate all contamination in whatever form it exists," Mayor Wilson said, "whether those conditions are known or unknown at this time."
   Weston will not be responsible for what is in the 90-plus buildings on site. That will be the responsibility of the firm the township hires to undertake the demolition of those buildings. That firm will be hired by the township within the next few weeks, township officials said.
   Mayor Wilson said she was very confident of the firms the township has hired to conduct the work.
   "I really feel pleased with and proud of the people we brought on to do the project," she said.