Mahwah October 10, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Concerns expressed about potential contamination by Frank J. McMahon Concerns have been raised about the wisdom of building an athletic field on top of land that may be contaminated. The issue was brought up last week as the Mahwah Planning Board discussed the environmental conditions on the 140-acre International Crossroads property at Routes 17 and 287. The six-acre athletic field is part of Crossroads Developers’ plan for the subject property, which calls for 600,000 square foot retail center with two big box stores, a tenplex theater, and 200,000 square feet of retail shops. Robert Crespi, a Crossroads attorney who specializes in environmental law, advised the board that there is no known issue of contamination on 100 acres of the development site, which was formerly home to the Ford assembly plant. Crespi said he saw nothing on that site that would prevent its development. He pointed out, however, that low levels of contamination were found on the 40-acre northeastern portion of the property in an area where a Conrail train yard was located when Ford operated its plant at the site. That is where the ball field would be constructed on contaminated soil that was brought to the site in the past to raise the grade level in that area. Crespi said that type of fill is historically found throughout the state and it can be removed or capped to prevent access to it. He said it is not normally required to be removed, and it is typically capped with concrete, asphalt, or two feet of clean fill. During Crespi’s testimony, board member Ward Donigian voiced his concern about putting a ball field on top of soil that may be contaminated, even though it may be capped by using a method approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “Would you put a ball field on top of land with known contamination and put children at risk?” Donigian asked Crespi. Crespi referred to the three NJDEP-approved methods of capping the soil, and emphasized that the soil would be capped according to NJDEP standards. Frank Rossi, an environmental expert with Boswell McClave Engineering, the township’s engineering firm, questioned Crespi extensively about the methods the developer would use to clean up the site and to prevent contamination from migrating from the site. When asked by Donigian if he heard anything in Crespi’s testimony that he would like to point out to the board, Rossi said that more work needs to be done to get all the answers concerning contamination on the site. He added that there are a lot of safeguards in place and the very specific documentation that the developer must submit to the NJDEP would ensure that the work would be done properly. Rossi was also asked about the wisdom of putting a ball field on the site by James Jaworski, the attorney for the Crossroads developer. “On a ball field with two feet of fill, would you be comfortable allowing children to play there?” Jaworski asked. Rossi answered that capping is a standard engineering control, and one foot of fill and natural turf would provide a barrier that would be a remedy allowed by the state. “Tell that to the parents who put their kids on that field,” Donigian responded. Acting Board Chairman Jeramiah Crean also voiced concern about disturbing the fill to install lights at the field in the future. Crespi said the work would be done within all health and safety laws. Board member Charles “Chuck” Jandris questioned how any contaminated soil would be contained if the soil is disturbed while constructing a building on the site. Crespi said there are multiple ways of handling that situation, and the developer would follow all the applicable rules to allow the use proposed for the site. During the public comment portion of the meeting Michael Richards, one of the founders of the Committee to Stop Mahwah Mall, voiced his concern about building the field on the Crossroads site. “The planning board doesn’t have to require a ball field, so if there are any concerns, don’t build it. We don’t need to have a ball field built there,” Richards said. Josephine Bourgholtzer, a member of the Stop the Mall Committee, agreed with Richards. She said there would be a real danger if the fill on the field were dug out to install lights. “Please, let’s not have a recreation field here at all,” she said. Prior to responding to the concerns raised about the field, Crespi testified about the status of the environmental issues on the former Ford Motor Company site. Crespi advised that the car company operated an assembly plant in Mahwah from 1955 to 1982 and Ford has remediated the site since the 1980s, removed 200,000 tons of contaminated soil from the site, and spent $11 million on cleanup and remediation of the site. He added that Ford is still investigating an area north of the Sharp Electronics Company site, and that work should begin in the next few weeks.