Ready To Wreck Greenwich House … Mostly

By Kendra Bobowick

The view may change again for drivers making their way through construction zones at Fairfield Hills. Greenwich House is poised for demolition. Sitting between the new Newtown Youth Academy and Bridgeport Hall, which in coming months will house education and municipal offices, the former state hospital building will come down in exchange for a consolidated parking area to serve nearby buildings and the adjacent baseball diamond.

“It’s now at a point to go through the normal process of taking it down,” said Public Works Director Fred Hurley, which he also told the Board of Selectmen last week. This week, Mr Hurley made a wish: “No more surprises,” he said, referring to anonymous calls to state departments that prompted inquiries and subsequent delays as work practices and other procedures were confirmed.

Primarily, the town and state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Public Health have worked in past months to coordinate work methods and remediation practices for projects at Fairfield Hills that may involve hazardous materials.

With its lead paint and potential asbestos materials on the interior, Greenwich House materials must be shipped, tracked, and disposed of following strict guidelines.

DEP Sanitary Engineer Ross Bunnell sent an encouraging email this week: despite some unresolved matters, “There is certain work which may proceed in the interim … however, any work that would result in the shipment of hazardous waste must stay on hold until we can resolve the [Environmental Protection Agency] ID number issue.”

What does this mean? His email also explains that issues concerning EPA identification numbers associated with the Fairfield Hills site remain unresolved and are “largely administrative.” Mr Bunnell said this week, the issue “is a very important one since it will dictate how the town’s portion of the former Fairfield Hills site will be reflected in state and federal hazardous waste files and databases, and how shipments of hazardous waste generated during this and future projects will be documented.” He added, “It is a key issue.” He noted that the town’s environmental consultant “understands this. We are working together to resolve the issue quickly,” Mr Bunnell wrote.

With projects in the queue such as installing infrastructure and gas lines, Mr Hurley wants the Greenwich building out of the way. “I hope they get it down quickly,” he said. “The sooner the better.” If not the whole thing, he crosses his fingers for at least some: the corner of Greenwich nearest to the new baseball diamond would ideally be out of the way so crews can install a stretch of below-ground utilities that reach the Newtown Youth Academy.

 

In The Numbers

In earlier correspondence with Mr Bunnell, his concern over EPA tracking numbers is clear. He cites window removals that will generate a large amount of hazardous waste. Should the facility change its current hazardous waste status? Should Fairfield Hills projects be classified as Large Quantity Generators of materials? If so, the town may have to amend its notifications and filing forms.

He asks also for certain work schedule documents and inquiries about contractors who will handle hazardous waste removal, and to receive copies of waste characterization profile sheets. Claris Construction will handle the demolition project, but could not be reached for comment in time for publication.