WINDSOR — The Selectboard has decided it would rather see a former National Guard armory demolished than take ownership of the contaminated building.
The board voted Tuesday night not to accept the Ascutney Street property, which at one time it hoped could be converted for recreational uses like car shows or a dog park, and request that the National Guard take it down.
Town Manager Tom Marsh said Wednesday that the board’s decision was for the most part made by the National Guard, which decided it is less expensive to tear the building down than to remediate the contaminated paint on the interior walls. The town was not interested in the building unless the contamination was cleaned up because of potential liability years down the road, Marsh said.
Problems with the building were discovered when the town hired an environmental consultant to complete a Phase I environmental review. The unexpected results came back last spring showing the presence of PCBs, chemicals that were once common in coolants and other building components and have been linked to cancer.
A second round of testing by an environmental consultant hired by the National Guard revealed lower PCB levels but not low enough for unrestricted use. That would mean limited use such as storage and signs warning people of the contamination.
More recently, Marsh said a disagreement arose between the two environmental consultants over the allowable use based on the levels of PCBs, measured in parts per billion.
He said the National Guard’s consultant said the contamination would allow uses such as recreation and offices with no signs or fencing needed, and the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that interpretation.
But the board decided that accepting the building with the contamination present was simply too great a risk given how environmental rules and regulations can change.
If the allowable parts per billion were lowered, it could mean a costly remediation for the town years down the road, Marsh said.
An armory property in Brattleboro, Vt., cost $3 million to clean up.
In 2017, the town was on a path to take ownership of the armory, and a committee of residents, which had recommended owning the building, was gathering ideas for possible uses, including a farmers market, concerts, school events or a car show. More recently the hope was for a dog park in a fenced-in area behind the building.
The armory was built in 1950 and abandoned by the National Guard seven years ago. It has sat vacant ever since.
Asked how long it would be before the building was demolished and the town could take ownership of the property for likely use as a playing field, Marsh guessed a minimum of two years and maybe up to five given the level of review and approval needed for such projects.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
