Board approves hazardous‑soil remediation at 411 Hill Avenue after benzene discovered

Board members on June 15 authorized removal and proper disposal of soil contaminated with a benzene‑type substance discovered during pre‑paving work at 411 Hill Avenue. Administrators said tests on excavated material triggered an EPA‑style hazardous disposal requirement and presented a remediation quote for $57,924.90.

District operations staff explained that if the district postponed or canceled the repaving project it would still incur nonrefundable permitting and mobilization costs of roughly $12,000; administrators recommended proceeding to limit future cost exposure and to address the safety hazard. The board moved, seconded and approved a motion to accept the contractor Schroeder Asphalt Services, Inc. to perform the removal at the quoted price.

District staff noted a community member suggested an earlier trucking firm may have operated on the site in decades past; the district did not establish the contaminant’s source at the meeting and described the remediation and disposal as the necessary immediate step.

The remediation contract is funded from current facilities budgets and will precede the scheduled pavement and drainage work at the site.