Project at Westborough Must Complete Further Testing

Residents will help decide the final design plans of the park at Westborough Centre. As of now, the only definite decision about the park is for it to be divided into two sections: a ?EUR??,,????'??great lawn,?EUR??,,????'?? which can hold at least 1,500 people for town events; and another section, which has an undetermined purpose as of yet. Walking trails will connect the two pieces of the park to residential and retail areas, as well as a parking lot.
Images courtesy of Waterman Design Associates

If all continues to go well, residents of Westborough, N.Y. will soon get a new place to shop, picnic, and perhaps ice skate. New York developers have been in discussions with the city Planning Board about the development of Westborough Centre; an area for shops, apartments, and a planned two-acre park which will be built on 22 acres of a former industrial site in downtown Westborough. Before a final decision can be made however, further testing of landfills on the site must be conducted. According to a report by Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirshchritt LLP, four landfills on the site have been identified and tested. Concrete slabs cap three of them, and the fourth is in grass. The hazardous waste that lies beneath the project surface is something the developers must deal with before plans can move ahead. In most instances, landfill material is better left where it is. Performing an excavation means running the risk that hazardous material will contaminate the area.

In this case, the landfills will be left alone, with the exception of some material that may be incinerated on site. Landfills on the 22-acre site have been extensively tested to determine the kinds of contaminants present and also their potential for gravitating into nearby Rutters Brook, which crosses the property at various points. The brook feeds into Cedar Swamp, an environmentally sensitive area. According to the report, test borings were done in places as far as 1,000 feet from landfills to ensure that contaminants were not filtering from the property. The tests showed no sign of gravitation.

In order to satisfy DEP requirements, Westborough CC LLC must conduct further testing on the site to ensure that contaminants will not create harm in the future. Also, developers will have to investigate, test and develop a remedial action plan for existing soil contamination before building can begin. Construction is expected to begin in August 2005.