Slow going on cleanup; remediation continues of Unexcelled property

By: Paul Koepp
   The cleanup of the site of the Unexcelled Chemical Corp. is progressing slowly, according to the company that is pursuing a redevelopment project there.
   The 395-acre Brick Yard Road parcel, located between Route 130 and the N.J. Turnpike, is the largest piece of unpreserved open space in the township and has been largely unused since an explosion at the Unexcelled factory in 1954, which killed two men and injured 10 others.
   The explosion also contaminated the site with munitions used to make napalm bombs and hand grenades during World War II. The state Department of Environmental Protection mandated a cleanup in February 2005 after Middlesex County considered purchasing the land for open space.
   Viridian Partners, a Colorado-based developer of contaminated sites, has plans to build 2.8 million square feet of warehouses on the site after its cleanup is approved by the DEP. Most of the contamination is concentrated to 85 acres on the east side of the site, but the whole parcel must be remediated.
   Viridian estimated in 2005 that the cleanup could be done by the middle of 2007, but the company now has no expected date to finish the work.
   "We’re moving along. It’s a work in progress," said spokesman Matt Stanton. "We found a lot more (munitions) than we thought was there. You can do baseline studies, but once you get in the ground, you find a lot more."
   Viridian inquired in a letter in August 2006 about the possibility of extending township sewer lines to the site, although the company says it did not make a formal request. Township officials have said they are concerned about extending sewer service to the site, which contains 250 acres of wetlands, according to the DEP. They have also said the company’s development plans are more extensive than they originally thought.
   Township Committeeman Tom Panconi said Thursday he does not think the extension of the sewer lines will happen.
   "Our Master Plan shows that it is not a sewer service area," he said. "The township decided years ago that that’s where the sewer should stop, and that’s that."
   The company has been working on its plans for the site with the N.J. Brownfields Redevelopment Interagency Team since 2005. Viridian purchased the land from the Cranbury Development Corp. through French bank Crédit Agricole in Jan. 2006 for $6 million.
   It expects to spend $12 million on the cleanup and $30 million for the entire redevelopment project. Through the Brownfields Reimbursement Fund, Viridian could be reimbursed by the state for up to 75 percent of the total remediation costs, depending on how much money the warehouses will generate in taxes.
   The site is zoned for light impact industrial uses, which is consistent with warehouses, according to the township’s Master Plan. Viridian must get land use permits and sewer approvals to move ahead with the redevelopment..
   The Unexcelled Chemical Corp., which operated the site from 1930 until it was shut down by the state Department of Labor following the 1954 explosion, made signal flares, fireworks, bug repellent and military munitions like grenade fuses and napalm bombs.
   The factory was demolished a few years after the explosion, but remnants of the munitions contaminated the soil and water on the site. Viridian CEO Bill Lynott said in June 2006 there was no guarantee all of the munitions would ever be removed.