The Select Board reported on Jan. 2 that the deed for the donated Tamworth Road property has transferred to the town and that staff will work with the Lakes Region Planning Commission (LRPC) and Novus Engineering to initiate the federally funded Brownfields Phase 2 testing and a subsequent cleanup plan if contaminants are found.

The town's liaison said Novus (the environmental engineering firm) recommended starting Phase 2 — the on-site soil and water sampling and forensic testing — as soon as possible. "If we can get Phase 2 started ASAP, which is the phase where the engineers actually come to the land and do all the soil sampling... then we can very shortly after work with LRPC to create a cleanup plan if anything is found," the liaison said.

Meeting presenters said Phase 2 and the planning follow-up are available to the town at no direct cost through Brownfields grant funding channels and that the federal cleanup funding cycle has a competitive deadline in November. The town said LRPC could assist with grant writing once Phase 2 and the cleanup plan are complete. Presenters noted the cleanup standard will depend on the intended future use of the site — a playground or housing would require a more stringent cleanup than a solar field or parking area.

An engineer who reviewed the Phase 1 materials had flagged some historical red flags related to prior uses (a lumber mill, dip tank and trucking business were mentioned), but told town staff that, based on site history, a significant contamination finding was unlikely. The board said it would provide an update at the next meeting after initiating Phase 2 sampling arrangements.