Though no official vote was taken on the matter following a public hearing on Tuesday, the New Ipswich Select Board agreed to sell the town’s former highway garage, but more guidance will be needed on how to handle contaminants on the site.
The Select Board held the hearing to get feedback on what to do with the site, which is about a quarter-acre, located on Turnpike Road across the street from the Boynton Middle School.
The town has been considering options for the property for years, with timing hampered by work done to determine potential liability related to contamination from its former uses, as well as impacts to neighboring property belonging to Lars Somero.
The town conducted an assessment of the property and found contamination in excess of state standards, including arsenic and petroleum hydrocarbon-diesel organics in the soil, and perflouorooctanoic acid or PFOA in monitoring wells.
According to a report compiled by Southwest Regional Planning and presented to the town in October, future use of the property will have a bearing on what sort of remediation is appropriate for the site, though it is likely that groundwater monitoring will be required.
Select Board Chair Jason Somero said what was on the property and the potential need for remediation had to be done before the town could move forward with anything on that site.
Selectman Shawn Talbot, who has previously endorsed the idea of converting the property to a recreation or community center, said he’s no longer in favor of that proposition due to the amount of cleanup needed.
“I’m of the mind to move forward with some type of sale,” Talbot said, saying he believes the property would have more value in private hands than being retained by the town, with a better chance of responsible development by selling the property. He said given the location, limitations, and cleanup needed, a community center is “off the table.”
Somero agreed, saying the town does not have many viable uses for the property, other than perhaps as a storage depot.
“I would be of a similar mindset, putting it up for sale, whether it be for auction or open market,” Somero said.
Talbot said he was comfortable moving forward with a sale, with the town having conducted an environmental survey and having a concrete idea of the issues with the property.
The board spoke about the need for remediation, and how to require remediation based on use if it sells the property. The board directed Town Administrator Debbie Deaton to consult with the town’s counsel or to receive a recommendation from counsel for an attorney who specializes in this field, to begin discussions on how that could be achieved.
Talbot said private buyers may be more familiar with the remediation process than the town, noting that there has been interest in the property over the years, and it is not unprecedented for private buyers to purchase contaminated properties.
“There are properties that are a lot worse off that have been cleaned up,” Talbot said.
The board did not take an official vote, but will revisit the matter for a formal motion during its next meeting.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.