- Details
- Category: Past Issues
Board takes
closer look
at armory
test results
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM --- The town's possible acquisition of the former Connecticut National Guard Armory near Murphy Park took one step closer last week.
The Board of Finance did not approve the acquisition, but have asked to see the complete report compiled by Maguire Group Inc. of New Britain. That firm recently completed an analysis of soil samples taken at 24 sites at the property.
The Army National Guard’s 250th Engineering Battalion moved out several years ago and the state has offered the town the vacant Keech Street building for $500 in legal fees. The building is on 3.56 acres on Keech Street, near the town’s schools and Murphy Park. Before taking the state up on the offer, the town is determining how much it might cost in rehab.
Town Administrator Douglas M. Cutler said the summary of the Maguire report found no heavy metals or petroleum products. However, researchers also took soil samples nearer to the closest surface water source, the Little River, and found naturally occurring arsenic. Veins of fools gold, very prevalent in New England, can produce naturally occurring arsenic.
Cutler said the Board of Finance members wanted to look at the full report. If the finance board approves , the proposed purchase would go to the Board of Selectmen to set a town meeting vote. The Planning Commission has already signed off on the proposed purchase.
In a previous phase of study, "six areas of concern" at the former home of the engineering battalion were noted. Those areas were cleared by the soil samplings and only the naturally occurring arsenic closer to the Little River was found.
Cutler said naturally occurring arsenic would not be a factor if the town purchased the property and paved the area for a parking lot. "If the area were to be used for some other purpose," he said, "we might have to bring in clean fill first."
If the town does buy the property, one possibility is that the town would move the Board of Education offices and the Parks and Recreation Department into the former armory. Cutler said if the project moves forward, the town would appoint a committee to consider that and other ideas.