THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
VOL. 20 NO. 101
BERLIN, N.H.
752-5858
FREE
Council approves environmental study for Dummer Yard
DRED, Forest Service check in on Irene damage
BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
GORHAM — The Commissioner of the Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) along with members of his staff and representatives from the US Forest Service and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office gathered in Gorham on Wednesday to check in with local towns in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. The towns of Shelburne, Randolph, Gorham and Berlin were all invited to take part in the session, which focused on the towns sharing their needs with the government officials, while the guests suggested the best contacts and strategies for ongoing issues. Gorham and the unincorporated places along Route 16 sustained much of the damage discussed during the session, and Gorham Emergency Management Coordinator Chad Miller illustrated the major damage caused by the Peabody River via slideshow. In it, he included photos of the nearly five-foot deep channel the river carved in White Birch Lane, substantial damage to the Androscoggin Valley Country Club — a pump house and large stone wall were washed away while sand and silt were deposited on the course, a Route 16 residence that saw around 25 feet of their yard swept downstream exposing their well casing and leaving their deck hanging over the river, as well as damage to the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road and surrounding trails, and the Dolly Copp Bridge. Andy Slowick who attended the meeting on behalf of the country club said that they would need help to cover the $30-$40,000 worth of equipment that was lost and $40-$50,000 worth of work that needs to be done. He added that some engineering help would be appreciated as well. “We’re looking for some help,” Slowick said, while noting that local volunteers had already stepped up to do what they could in removing storm debris on the property. Slowick added that the bridge abutments on the Route 2 structure over the Peabody seemed to act as rudders steering the water onto the course and wondered if engineering services might be available to look at that issue. Bald took note, and directed Slowick to connect with DRED’s North Country representative Benoit Lamontagne to move forward. Bald credited White Mountain National Forest Supervisor Tom Wagner with the idea for joint meetings with towns to discuss the damage inflicted by the Aug. 28 storm. Noting that both agencies played key roles and made joint decisions leading up to the storm — like their calls to close both the state parks and national forests for the weekend — Bald said they were now looking to help towns and busi-
BERLIN — The city council approved paying an estimated $29,550 for the city’s share of a Phase II environmental site assessment of the Dummer Yard landfill. The state Department of Environmental Services is funding the remaining $90,978 of the $120,528 budget for the ESA which will be conducted by GZA GeoEnvironmental of Manchester. Housing Coordinator André Caron provided the council with an overview of the history of the city’s involvement with the property and described the Phase II project. The council met on Tuesday night because of the Labor Day holiday. Ownership of the 418-acre parcel is in limbo as a result of the bankruptcy of American Tissue, which was the prior owner. When Fraser Papers purchased the American Tissue pulp and paper mills, it specifically excluded the Dummer Yard property because of its history as an industrial landfill. Caron reminded the council that city declined to accept ownership of the property in 2006 when it first came up for tax deeding. Because the city is required to tax deed the entire parcel, it wanted a clearer picture of its environmental issues before taking on the responsibility. State law allows the city to conduct exploratory work before taking a property by tax deed.
Both Caron and City Manager Patrick MacQueen stressed the city is interested in owning the property because of the large amount of undeveloped land included. The four unlined but capped landfills on the property occupy about 105 acres, leaving over 300 acres that the city could use for future development. “As a housing coordinator, I think we need to do it,” Caron said in recommending the council approve the Phase II work. “This is the largest piece of undeveloped land we have left in the city.” he said. Caron reminded the council that the Berlin Industrial Development and Park Authority has been looking for additional land. MacQueen said the industrial potential of the site is great. He said the city, however, can not go forward until it knows the liabilities of the site. In 2006, a Phase I ESA was conducted on the site by Nobis Engineering at the request of the North Country Council, funded by a federal Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Assessment Grant. GZA GeoEnvironmental did an update of that study earlier this year based on additional documents DES uncovered as a result of the 2006 study. The Phase I work identified specific areas of environmental concern. Caron said the Phase II study will look at groundwater and subsurface conditions with test borings and well installations. In a follow-up phone interview, he see LANDFILL page 7
Close call
Kennett goal keeper Scott Connor makes this spectacular save on Berlin forward Chris Frenette. (JEAN LEBLANC PHOTO)
see DAMAGE page 6
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