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Board approves access to Arms Park parking lot for phase 2 Brownfields assessment
Summary
The Manchester Board Mayor & Aldermen voted to permit the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission access to the Arms Park parking lot for a second-phase Brownfields assessment study. Officials said state and federal cleanup programs would assist if hazardous materials are found and that work would stop until hazards are addressed.
The Manchester Board Mayor & Aldermen voted to allow the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission access to the Arms Park parking lot for phase 2 of a Brownfields assessment study. Alderman Alvin Long moved to approve the request and Alderman Alvin Vincent seconded; the motion was approved during the meeting.
City officials and the consultant on the project said the assessment could identify historical contamination and that state and federal Brownfields resources would be available to help evaluate and fund cleanup if hazardous materials are found. "If we do find anything, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the EPA through the Brownfields program will just continue to help the city and try to evaluate and find funding in order to clean it up," the consultant said.
Board members asked what obligations the city would face if hazardous materials were discovered. Chairman LaVasseur said, "If by any chance we did find something, the city would have a means to the DES. There'd be funding available to pay for it, and we would find a way to take care of it. The city wouldn't have to be on the hook to pay for any funds for that." The board did not discuss specific cost estimates or timelines at the meeting.
The formal request was described on the agenda as communications from Jody Nisaka, economic development director, asking that the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission be granted access to the parking lot at Arms Park for the second phase of a Brownfields assessment study. The consultant and a staff member identified as Owen were asked to respond to technical questions during the exchange.
Aldermen completed the vote after a short discussion and a public question about the city's obligations. Alderman Alvin Goonan was recorded as absent in the roll call. No specific cleanup cost amounts, contract details, or a start date for phase 2 were provided during the discussion; those details were not specified in the meeting record.
The board moved on to adjourn after approving the access request.
