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Council says DOH is receptive to Rails-to-Trails remediation plan for Parcel 1A
Summary
Council reported the Department of Health is looking favorably on a remediation handoff for Parcel 1A on the Rails-to-Trails corridor; town staff are developing a DOH-style cost estimate and exploring ways to reduce mobilization costs because the town’s scope is remediation only.
Councilors discussed progress on remediation for Parcel 1A of the Rails-to-Trails corridor, reporting conversations with the Department of Health (DOH) indicate favorability toward a transfer of remediation responsibility. Staff said the DOH cost estimate uses heavy mobilization assumptions and that the town can reduce costs by tailoring work to remediation-only tasks rather than full trail construction.
A council member said that DOH had originally planned to remediate Parcel 3 and that the town’s offer to handle some parcels had been received positively. The staff noted that cost elements such as geotextile assumptions, extensive clearing, and mobilization drives up DOH-style estimates and that the town’s approach—focused on stripping, demarcation fabric, and removing safety fences where appropriate—could be significantly less expensive. Town staff are preparing a local cost estimate and will continue discussions with DOH and an engineer to refine the proposal.
