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Select Board asks LCPC to fund phase‑2 brownfields testing for two buyout properties
Summary
LCPC briefed the board on phase‑1 environmental findings; the board moved and approved requesting LCPC grant funds for phase‑2 assessments on two properties that showed potential contamination and asked LCPC to review liability protection enrollment.
At the Select Board meeting the town’s regional planning representative summarized environmental assessments of three buyout properties and the board authorized LCPC to pursue phase‑2 testing and to consider liability‑protection enrollment for the town.
Tori Hellwig of the LCPC explained that phase‑1 work (a desktop/record review) identified recognized environmental conditions (RECs) at two properties (the health center and the Sterling Market) while the Union Bank site showed no RECs. She said, "the phase 1 site assessment was essentially background research... a phase 2 would actually complete the testing and take samples and measure what is or is not there," and recommended phase‑2 testing and a pre‑application discussion about enrolling the town in the state liability protection program.
Board members debated who would pay for cleanup if contamination were confirmed; LCPC staff said there are state and federal cleanup grants and LCPC program funds that can support corrective action planning. The board voted to request LCPC use Brownfields grant funds for phase‑2 assessments on the two Route‑15 properties and to ask LCPC to consider using grant funds to provide liability protection (an "umbrella" enrollment) if eligible. The board made clear it prefers to see phase‑2 results before closing on any buyout property.
Members also asked that any enrollment or funding decisions be clearly documented and that phase‑2 results be returned to the board before the town completes property transfers.
