NYS to clean up Chestertown brownfield

CHESTERTOWN | The state government is giving the town of Chester and a local property owner a gift worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The state Comptroller's office has agreed to have the Department of Environmental Conservation clean up underground oil and gasoline contamination at 88 Riverside Drive after the town acquires title to the land, which once hosted several automotive repair enterprises. Town of Chester Supervisor Craig Leggett publicly announced the agreement Oct. 27. "This is another example of New York State working with Adirondack communities for economic revitalization," he said. Remediation of contamination at sites of gas stations and automotive repair shops has been known to cost as much as $1 million or more. The cost to clean up petroleum substances at 88 Riverside Drive is an expense that won't be borne by the town of Chester nor the property owner, who is giving the property hosting of the former garage to the town, Leggett said. Instead, the state DEC will be bearing the cost of such remediation, while the town will undertake demolition of the structures on the property. Leggett said the structure at the site contained no asbestos — which could be costly to clean up — except for a very small amount in the caulking of a window. The demolition of the garage is expected to be conducted this fall, and DEC's site remediation is likely to occur this next spring, Leggett said. The agreement was reached through the state Comptroller's Environmental Protection and Oil Spill Compensation Fund. Leggett said the town of Chester could either have a developer build a storefront with second-story apartments, or repurpose the site into a pocket park, perhaps with a playground, or as a community parking lot for use by neighboring St. John the Baptist Catholic Church or downtown events including performances at the nearby Carol Theatre. Leggett said the town board would be holding workshop sessions and public meetings to hear residents' opinions on the future of the property. "We want to get public input," he said. The site formerly hosted Whipple's Garage, Red Wheeler's Garage, and most recently Swan's Garage, although it has been inactive for years. "These enterprises had skilled mechanics, and we were fortunate to have them in town," he said. Leggett praised the town's deputy supervisor Marion Eagan for her half-dozen years of work of advocacy and work with state officials on the cleanup. Leggett said that EDC Warren County also provided assistance, including a site assessment. Decades ago, the DEC would require owners of rural general stores with gas pumps and automotive businesses to pay many hundreds of thousands of dollars for petroleum contamination, whether they caused the contamination or not. Under prior state policies, the state could not only hold current and past owners of the contaminated property responsible for paying for contamination cleanup — they could put a lien on an owner's residence and personal property as well. Former state Assemblywoman Betty Little fought to change these laws and policies that forced some general stores in the Adirondacks out of business. In recent years, the state has liberalized such policies.

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NYS to clean up Chestertown brownfield

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