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Please help us cover costs for oil spill clean-up!
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Update on Oil Spill
It was a “dark and stormy night...”
...six months ago when our oil tank shifted and dumped 250 gallons of fuel oil onto the dirt floor of the crawl space in the Old Town Hall. Much has happened since then. Here’s is an update:
Thanks to the quick response and some luck, we were able to contain the spill and get the major cleanup done before the oil contaminated much of the area in the crawl space. This Spring we were able to:
But the process isn’t over. We still have to certify that there are no residual fumes or any contaminated ground water. This Fall, test wells will be drilled in the parking lot next door to the building to test the ground water for oil, and air samples will be taken in the building.
We estimate the total cost of the cleanup, filings and remediations, testing and certifications will be around $58,000. Unfortunately, insurance will not cover it. (Outside water damage is excluded from commercial liability policies.) Thanks to your generous support, we raised $44,000 so far from over 60 members and supporters. But, to stay current with our bills, we were forced to use money from our construction funds to cover the balance.
Despite the setback, we’ve moved forward with the restoration. The elevator is in and working, extension siding finished, accessway between the first floor and stairway and the lobby entrance on the second floor completed. There is still a lot more to be done before we meet the ADA and building codes: handicap bathroom, proper entrance path from the parking lot, railings, and emergency lighting. But we’re getting there, and we’re in the midst of putting together a plan for our next grant application. In the coming weeks and months we’ll tell you more about our next steps — and how you might be able to help. In the meantime, please know how grateful we are for all your support — through good times and in dark and stormy ones, as well!
It was a “dark and stormy night...”
...six months ago when our oil tank shifted and dumped 250 gallons of fuel oil onto the dirt floor of the crawl space in the Old Town Hall. Much has happened since then. Here’s is an update:
Thanks to the quick response and some luck, we were able to contain the spill and get the major cleanup done before the oil contaminated much of the area in the crawl space. This Spring we were able to:
- Remove 50 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the crawl space, plus 250 gallons of spilled oil. The soil went to a processing facility in Pittsfield and the oil was trucked across state lines to a recycling plant in Albany. (We now have our own EPA number.)
- Pour a concrete floor in part of the crawl space that was affected, something we had planned on doing in later stages of restoration.
- Install a new oil tank outside the building and get the heat working in time for the Spring programs.
- Retain a licensed site professional to guide us through the process, fill out numerous forms, get incident numbers and generally keep us out of trouble with the DEP. (No fines so far!)
But the process isn’t over. We still have to certify that there are no residual fumes or any contaminated ground water. This Fall, test wells will be drilled in the parking lot next door to the building to test the ground water for oil, and air samples will be taken in the building.
We estimate the total cost of the cleanup, filings and remediations, testing and certifications will be around $58,000. Unfortunately, insurance will not cover it. (Outside water damage is excluded from commercial liability policies.) Thanks to your generous support, we raised $44,000 so far from over 60 members and supporters. But, to stay current with our bills, we were forced to use money from our construction funds to cover the balance.
Despite the setback, we’ve moved forward with the restoration. The elevator is in and working, extension siding finished, accessway between the first floor and stairway and the lobby entrance on the second floor completed. There is still a lot more to be done before we meet the ADA and building codes: handicap bathroom, proper entrance path from the parking lot, railings, and emergency lighting. But we’re getting there, and we’re in the midst of putting together a plan for our next grant application. In the coming weeks and months we’ll tell you more about our next steps — and how you might be able to help. In the meantime, please know how grateful we are for all your support — through good times and in dark and stormy ones, as well!
Mother Nature pulled a fast one...
...but thanks to quick action a long-term disaster in the Old Town Hall was averted
The winter has been a rough one for our construction. Extreme cold, heavy rain followed by ice, and the usual amount of snow all made working on the extension difficult. On Thursday, Jan.24 we had a major rainfall (2 inches) and, unknown to anyone, water seeped through the rubble foundation and undercut the support on one of the oil tank legs. (Oil tanks have been in that same spot since the late 1940's.)
Cold weather was coming (-15 degrees) and the hydraulics in our new elevator had to be kept above 50 degrees. The next day, the oil tank was filled, the weight of the oil caused it to shift and broke the feed line to the boiler, leaking all the oil into the dirt floor in the crawl space. Later that afternoon, Peter Skorput was checking on the building and heat and smelled the oil, discovered the leak and quickly called in the problem. Bill Nappo, our contractor, (and former First Responder) happened to be in the area.
...but thanks to quick action a long-term disaster in the Old Town Hall was averted
The winter has been a rough one for our construction. Extreme cold, heavy rain followed by ice, and the usual amount of snow all made working on the extension difficult. On Thursday, Jan.24 we had a major rainfall (2 inches) and, unknown to anyone, water seeped through the rubble foundation and undercut the support on one of the oil tank legs. (Oil tanks have been in that same spot since the late 1940's.)
Cold weather was coming (-15 degrees) and the hydraulics in our new elevator had to be kept above 50 degrees. The next day, the oil tank was filled, the weight of the oil caused it to shift and broke the feed line to the boiler, leaking all the oil into the dirt floor in the crawl space. Later that afternoon, Peter Skorput was checking on the building and heat and smelled the oil, discovered the leak and quickly called in the problem. Bill Nappo, our contractor, (and former First Responder) happened to be in the area.
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Bill and Peter immediately swung into action and contacted the DEP and Maxymillian Construction, (licensed environmental cleanup contractors). Maxymillian arrived within the hour with the world's largest vacuum truck and started sucking up the standing oil. Peter and Bill stayed with the crew throughout the night until the site was stabilized. Peter then worked with Lipton Oil that Monday to get a temporary oil tank installed so we could have heat in the building and the elevator kept warm. Without the quick action of Peter and Bill this would have been a much larger contamination and the consequences much, much worse.
Since the incident, we have been dealing with insurance adjustors, failure engineers, the DEP, licensed site professionals and lab tests. Maxymillian has been on site with big trucks and buckets excavating 10" of contaminated soil. All efforts are being made to minimize the spread and collateral damage from the spill. While the leak was not like the Exxon Valdez or Deepwater Horizon, the state environmental regulations treat it very seriously. Unfortunately, we've learned a whole new set of acronyms and regulations.
Currently, our efforts are now focused on preventing this setback getting in the way of finishing the elevator and moving forward with spring and summer programming. At this time, we don't know if, or how much, our insurance will cover cleanup and restoration costs. We will keep you posted.
One thing we do know: it's great to live and work in a such a supportive community.
Since the incident, we have been dealing with insurance adjustors, failure engineers, the DEP, licensed site professionals and lab tests. Maxymillian has been on site with big trucks and buckets excavating 10" of contaminated soil. All efforts are being made to minimize the spread and collateral damage from the spill. While the leak was not like the Exxon Valdez or Deepwater Horizon, the state environmental regulations treat it very seriously. Unfortunately, we've learned a whole new set of acronyms and regulations.
Currently, our efforts are now focused on preventing this setback getting in the way of finishing the elevator and moving forward with spring and summer programming. At this time, we don't know if, or how much, our insurance will cover cleanup and restoration costs. We will keep you posted.
One thing we do know: it's great to live and work in a such a supportive community.
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The back wing and elevator are finished! Pictures and more information to follow.
The back wing and elevator are finished! Pictures and more information to follow.
