Council to Vote on Firm for Park Cleanup
Proposal calls for lead contamination to be removed.
Photos
The Township Council is expected to hire a Somerset County-based environmental firm Tuesday to handle soil contamination discovered last year in Milton Votee Park.
A citizen advisory board recommended hiring JM Sorge for the project. Under the firm’s proposal, a section in the southwest corner of the park contaminated with lead would be remediated, while soil samples from around the 40-acre park would be averaged to come up with a measurement below state guidelines.
The bill for the work is estimated to come in at about $100,000 and take four to five months.
Votee Park was closed Dec. 14 after testing found levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, and PCBs above state guidelines. State health officials later said the soil contamination presented no health risks, and the park was reopened in April. That finding was backed up by the advisory board’s review.
Related Stories:
- Teaneck Moves Ahead on Contaminated Park Cleanup
- Officials Work to Reassure Residents About Soil Contamination in Votee Park
- Teaneck Officials to Reopen Votee Park
- Contamination Found in Votee Park Surface Soil
- Teaneck to Form Citizen Advisory Board on Votee Park Contamination
- Officials Meet with DEP on Votee Park Contamination, Soil Report Released
- Teaneck’s Milton Votee Park Closed After Soil Contamination Discovered
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In This article
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Teaneck Municipal Building
818 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck, NJ -
Milton Votee Park
Queen Anne Rd & Court St, Teaneck, NJ -
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zizi
9:37 am on Monday, August 27, 2012
State health officials later said the soil contamination presented no health risks, and the park was reopened in April = The bill for the work is estimated to come in at about $100,000 and take four to five months.
Anyone else see something wrong with this picture or it is just me.....
Barbara Ley Toffler
1:56 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
To get the Green Acres grant for the soccer field, Votee must meet DEP standards, not DHSS standards. Because GZA did soil testing all over the park (which was not required -- we only needed to test soil below soccer field for Green acres grant), and there are a few areas where the PAHs are above the DEP standard, that fact must be addressed, A form of averaging is acceptable to DEP as long as Votee remains a park and is not used for homes. My understanding is that everyone is pleased that 2 bidders provides plans and estimates around $100,000 which will finally get us the Green acres approval and the $750,000 they are granting us. GZA had estimated $300,000 per acre, with the total proposal being around $7-9 million. Fortunately the highly expert Advisory Board understood the problem well and provided an RFP that brought in the low (and appropriate) bids. the town should be exceedingly pleased with this outcome and with the evidence of what can be done with advice from experts (seven in this case) who live in town. If you have concerns, go to the council meeting and ask questions during good and welfare.
Benjamin Alter
2:55 pm on Thursday, August 30, 2012
Time to get the facts straight. At no time did GZA recommend testing the entire park. Our client, the Township of Teaneck requested this action and GZA fulfilled that request to the letter of our contract. At no time did GZA recommend remediating the contamination at a cost of $300,000 per acre. This estimate was given in response to a question posed to GZA. In fact, GZA actively discouraged this action and urged public officials to find alternate ways to address the contamination.
Ms. Toffler, your half truths are unbefitting a person of your stature. The citizens of Teaneck deserve better.
--Ben Alter, PG, LSRP
GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.