Staff Writer
City councilors authorized the city manager to sign an agreement with federal officials that will relieve the municipality of future responsibility for clean up of a waste oil site in central Maine. The issue was one of several discussed by the City Council on Nov. 13. Other business included making the council a seven-member panel again with the seating of Robert Albert who was elected earlier this month to fill a vacant seat.
The federal “superfund” site is commonly known as Hows Corners in Plymouth, located in Penobscot County.
The City Council’s motion, authorized Steven Buck to sign an agreement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency as long as there is no fiscal impact to the city.
According to Buck, a total of 707 gallons of waste oil originating in the city was deposited at the waste site, a fraction of the waste dumped at the site. The city hopes to become a “cashout settling defendant.”
Although the terminology may give the impression that the city may have to pay, the cost of the cleanup actually will be paid for by revenues generated by new fee charged for vehicle oil changes. New state legislation was passed to fund the clean-up of several waste oil sites around the state.
The city already has paid $68,000 toward the cost of the Hows Corners cleanup, which Buck said should be refunded to the city as a result of the new legislation.
The Hows Corners site is a 17-acre parcel of land in Plymouth owned by George West where groundwater was contaminated. According to the EPA, West used two acres on the site to operate a waste facility from 1965 to 1980.
In 1988, a routine site inspection found contaminated soil that was removed in the early 1990s. An alternate water supply system also was installed to provide safe drinking water for those residents whose wells had been contaminated by the site’s past activities.
In other business, the council also discussed the boundary separating the new Wellness Center and the Maine Army National Guard on Bennett Drive. To accommodate the potential expansion of the recreation facility, a fence and a fuel pad need to be relocated, according to correspondence presented by Buck during the meeting.
One concern was voiced by Kathy Mazzuchelli, the city’s recreation director, regarding a shared entrance between the new building and the MANG.
“The commission has concerns about the safety issue with young rec users blending with the large equipment of the guard,” said Mazzuchelli.
City councilors asked Buck to review all the material regarding the property in question and to continue working with the military on the issue.
After two months of discussion, the council voted to move a street light from Limestone Street to Elizabeth Avenue. A previous plan to take a light from South Main Street was not feasible since the light did not belong to the city.
The city council also accepted several bids on tax acquired property during the two-hour session.
A restaurant class liquor license for Kurt Violette, doing business as Napoli’s of Aroostook Inc., was approved, in addition to an electronic video machine game of chance permit was approved for the American Legion.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
