Brunson Elementary soil-testing change order draws public concern; board declines the change order

Winston-Salem ' The board on May 13 discussed a change order to the S&ME contract for additional soil testing at the Brunson Elementary site after members of the public and environmental reviewers told the district that state regulators may require imported clean soil and land-use restrictions.

Peter Antonacci, a resident who attended a Department of Environmental Quality meeting about the site, told the board the property selected for Brunson is highly contaminated and that a July 2024 risk assessment had not been shared publicly. "This site is so contaminated that for the last 4 years, the district has been negotiating with the state's version of the EPA, the Department of Environmental Quality," Antonacci said during public comment. He said DEQ later calculated exposure risks and that those results were not presented at prior public board meetings.

District staff explained that new soil-testing work was needed after test results showed contaminants that could require removal or import of clean material and additional negotiations with DEQ to lift land-use restrictions. The superintendent said one consequence of the DEQ process could be that certain activities would be restricted on the site unless additional approvals were obtained, for example planting gardens or installing…