TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Although the Township closed on the 6.1-acre former private Washington Township Recreation Club on Ridgewood Boulevard North on April 29, a consultant’s environmental report dated April 7 found that further environmental investigation of “historic fill” onsite was needed and called for a second $7,000-plus study of the specific area.
The Township did not publicly disclose the information prior to its $750,000 purchase, neither did Mayor Peter Calamari reveal that an additional environmental investigation was recommended at the site, either before or after closing.
Asked May 16 if the Phase II report investigating the fill had been completed or was available, Township Attorney Kenneth Poller told Pascack Press, “Not yet.” Asked who would be liable for cleanup if contaminants are found — the township or seller — Poller did not reply.
At the May 16 Township Council meeting, resident Anthony Conti queried Poller about who would pay cleanup costs if a Phase II investigation should turn up contaminants.
Poller said though there is “no evidence” that any contaminated fill was placed on swim club property, though it was agreed after Lisko’s initial finding of “historic fill” that future remediation “be a shared responsibility between the swim club and the town if there is anything to remediate.”
He said both township and swim club split an estimated $75,000 cost for “putting macadam on it” if necessary, and also split the cost ($7,336) of Lisko’s Phase II environmental report. These monies were put in escrow at the closing, said Poller, a detail previously undisclosed by the township or mayor.
Poller said May 16 that Lisko’s phase II assessment was “scheduled to be done shortly.”
After the sale closed, Calamari sent out a video to his nearly 800 Facebook followers to trumpet that the land was now in town hands.
He said in part, “We’ll now do a study to see how this piece of property fits in with all of our other parks and fields to come up with a great field inventory for the town to hold all of its sporting and other events.” (See “Questions trail swim club sale,” Pascack Press, May 7, 2022.)
Calamari has said the deal does not require the town to maintain the amenity as a pool; the site has more than one. He has said he intended to preserve the land from development, and is pursuing a Bergen County Open Space Land Acquisition Grant to recoup the bulk of the investment. He also has reached out informally to residents for their ideas on what kinds of activities should be held at the property.
It was not clear when the council authorized $7,336 in funding for the Phase II environmental site assessment (ESA). Pascack Press could not find a resolution or bill authorizing the expense before May 16 — in contrast to the Phase I ESA, which was authorized by resolution and paid on the April 18 bills list.
As part of its due diligence period before the rec center’s closing, the Township authorized a land survey by Azzolina & Feury Engineering (the township engineer) and an ESA report from Lisko Environmental, an environmental consultant used previously by council for investigations including soil contamination at the now cleaned up former DPW site behind town hall.
An email was sent Friday, April 1 from Ashley Scull, Lisko Environmental project scientist, to Poller that provided advance notice of the environmental report’s finding of historic fill and Lisko’s recommendation for follow-up investigation.
Prior to the closing, officials have conducted all council discussion regarding the site’s negotiation/acquisition in closed session.
Meanwhile the town has been moving much of its displaced DPW equipment to the property, as its former DPW headquarters, at the municipal complex, was razed and its toxic soil, dating back decades, remediated.
The town has been working to find a new home for the DPW, and came under heavy fire by residents here and in Paramus after it revealed plans, at least months in the making, to site a new DPW at the former Charlie Brown’s restaurant, at 95 Linwood Ave., another recent town acquisition.
Historic fill dating to middle of last century
According to the April 7 report prepared by Lisko Environmental, of Belmar, the northwestern edge of the former swim club site was mapped as historic fill, 1955–1970, by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The report defines historic fill as “any non-indigenous material generally deposited to raise the topographic elevation of a site, which was contaminated prior to emplacement and is not associated with site operations.”
The report notes such fill “typically consists of construction debris, dredge spoils, demolition debris, ash, brick, and cinders. Contaminants commonly associated with historic fill are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and metals. Due to the potential presence of impact, historic fill material is considered a REC (Recognized Environmental Condition).”
To address the REC on the property, Lisko recommended a $7,336 Phase II site investigation to “assess the potential impacts of the historic fill material as requested by Mr. Poller.”
The recommended Phase II investigation included utility markouts (free); sample collection and analysis: $3,886; and Phase II environmental site assessment report (electronic format), $3,450, for a total of $7,336.
The Lisko report notes a 60-day timeline for completion of the Phase II investigation, including a proposed project schedule showing “drilling work” on Day 21; receipt of laboratory analytical data on Day 42; and final report on Day 60.
The Phase II soil site work will include up to three soil borings to a maximum of 4 feet using a hand auger. The samples will be collected at “depth intervals of highest suspected impact,” reads the Phase I report. Samples will be analyzed for PAHs and Target Analyte List (TAL) metals.
Samples showing the highest PAH/TAL concentrations will be further analyzed for extractable petroleum hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and total cyanide, states the Lisko report.
A final Phase II ESA report will document investigation results, cite applicable standards, and provide recommendations for additional work, if required. The report has not yet been received, Poller told Pascack Press.
In addition to its Phase I site assessment, Lisko Environmental subcontracted with Envirotactics, of Sea Girt, to determine if freshwater wetlands, flood hazard areas, highlands areas, or endangered species and their habitats were present on the swim club site.
The consultant found freshwater wetlands in the site’s western portion, draining to an unnamed tributary of Musquapsink Brook. It noted the property was not listed on the state Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) freshwater wetlands GIS mapping.
The report found no flood hazard areas onsite but the unnamed tributary to Musquapsink Brook is a freshwater 2 non-trout category 1 waterway, which requires a 300-foot riparian zone.
Regarding “historic area” impacts, the report noted the site is “potentially impacted.” It is not listed on any state or county historical registers, but its proximity to the Parkway may require a historical review prior to any proposed project.
As for “threatened and endangered species,” the report notes it is “potentially impacted” although there are no listed endangered or threatened species.
A habitat patch is mapped onsite, but no specific endangered or threatened species are listed, reads the report.