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Residents and staff describe plan for cleanup of burned site; asbestos precautions, litigation noted
Summary
During public comment, town staff said hazardous material had been removed from a burned commercial site, described the cleanup as a wet process treating materials as presumed asbestos, and projected a March 1 start with an eight-week timeline; litigation over site control remains ongoing.
Town staff and members of the public described the status of cleanup at a burned commercial site during the Feb. 25 Hamilton Township Council meeting, saying hazardous materials have been removed and a controlled, multi-week remediation is planned.
A staff member told the council that removal of hazardous material — described during the meeting as bottles of hand sanitizer found on the premises — has already been completed. The staff member said the next phase will be a wet cleanup, with crews wetting materials and testing air quality because the debris is being treated as presumed asbestos until testing proves otherwise. “The first part of the cleanup has already been completed, which was the removal of the hazardous material, which was the hand sanitizer that was on the premises ... So it's a wet cleanup ... they're treating it all as asbestos, it's not been tested, but it's just presumed that it's all asbestos,” the staff member said.
The staff member also said litigation to determine control of the property remains ongoing and could affect the schedule, but the township hopes cleanup can begin March 1 after snow melts. The work was described as likely to take about eight weeks because of the volume of material and the need to transport contaminated material to approved disposal locations.
Members of the public asked questions about timing and scope, and council members used the public-comment period to thank the Department of Public Works for snow-removal work following back-to-back historic storms. One council member said, “Hats off to our Public Works department” and described crews opening walkways and clearing paths for residents.
What it means: The timeline and planned procedures suggest an extended, controlled remediation that depends on testing, disposal approvals and the outcome of litigation about site control. The staff description places an emphasis on testing and air-quality monitoring before declaring the site cleared. No formal permits, testing results or contractor names for the cleanup schedule beyond general references were provided in the meeting record.
Next steps: Staff indicated the township will proceed with cleanup planning and testing and will provide updates as the litigation and remediation progress. Council members encouraged residents to monitor meeting notices for further information and staff reports.
