LONGMEADOW – Following the ground breaking at the location of the new Department of Works [DPW] facility in Longmeadow, the town found asbestos containing materials (ACM) on the site. From there, the materials were isolated on site until a disposal site and method was agreed upon. At the March 14 Select Board meeting, Select Board Chair Mark Gold informed residents that the ACM will be moved to the town’s former landfill on Tina Lane.

“Unfortunately this material which was probably just a small amount of material had been buried and disbursed and in order to dig it up, there was an awful lot of dirt that came with it and other things that came with it, and we ended up with many thousands of cubic yards of asbestos containing material,” Gold explained. He continued to share that after exploring options for removal of the ACM including one that would haul the material to a hazardous waste facility in Ohio, the town has decided to move the material to Tina Lanes unclosed landfill.

“With the cooperation of the Mass Department of Environmental Protection [DEP], we were able to do that. It wasn’t without some cost, but we moved it down there and now the requirement is that landfill needs to be capped and closed,” Gold said.

The next step, Gold explained, was for the town to temporarily cap the piles of dirt as it contains a “non–friable,” which means the substance would not get into the earth, it can’t breathe, it won’t be soaking into the water below, however it would be a hazard if someone came in contact with it.

The town is seeking funding from the state to permanently cap the landfill, and this temporary cap is a temporary solution.

“Tonight, the request is to provide funds that will be paid for out of the DPW construction project contingency line item. $158,054 to provide funding for a temporary cap of the landfill.”

The temporary cap is made of dirt. Town Manager Stephen Crane explained that for about 10 years the town has been working with the DEP to cap this, however the ACM discovery has accelerated this project.

Of the state funding, Gold said it is only released as part of a springtime capital plan for the state, where all departments throughout Massachusetts submit their capital needs and the governor and committee subsequently releases the funds. While they’re hopeful Longmeadow will receive the funds for the permanent cap, Crane stated he feels it’s “very likely” there will need to be a warrant article at the spring Town Meeting so the town can meet their deadline to cap the landfill with the DEP. In addition, Gold noted, that if the town moved to permanently cap the landfill themselves without state funding, they would not be reimbursed.

“What this will do, in addition to being required to do it, it does buy us a little bit of time to pursue the money. We are still going to be on timetables with the DEP to perform the permanent capping,” Crane stated.

The vote to approve the change order to temporarily cap the landfill was unanimous.