More Soil Tests To Be Done on Greenwich High Athletic Fields

The Greenwich High School athletic fields will remain closed while school, construction and environmental officials devise a plan on how to proceed with further testing of the soil there.

The Greenwich Public Schools Crisis Management Team - comprised of senior managers - met Monday morning at the district headquarters, along with town officials and environmental specialists to discuss how to continue evaluation of the construction site at the rear of Greenwich High School. Officials may have a plan of testing action ready for the 7:30 a.m. meeting Aug. 2 of the project's building committee, according to schools spokewoman Kim Eves. 

"Hopefully we'll have a plan for testing ready (Tuesday) to present to the building committee ... but everything remains closed until further notice," Eves said. Officials also will have to decide on to remove any contaminated soil. In the meantime, huge mounds of dirt remain covered over with tarps and sprayed with water to prevent airborne contamination, Eves said.

Work began in early July for the long-delayed $28 million classroom and auditorium expansion project, commonly known as MISA. In mid-July workers discovered that newly excavated soil was a different color than dirt previously dug from the site. The discovery prompted testing of the soil which revealed some metals, VOCs and PCBs in the soil. The site work in the west or rear lot was stopped and the excavation area was contained.

Two more rounds of tests were done with the latest results released July 29 - included soil samples from the grass area between the parking lot and fields 3 and 4, which indicated that PCB levels at the surface and up to a foot deep were higher than the acceptable standards for residential or commercial uses. Officials have not released the test results.

According to Eves, Diversified Technology Consultants of North Haven, and Environmental Assessment Solutions of Scarsdale, NY, have been hired to coordinate and conduct the tests. The firms are working with the project's contractor Turner Construction.

Among the town officials attending yesterday's meeting were First Selectman Peter Tesei and Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Siciliano. On Friday, when the school district announced it was closing all athletic fields, Siciliano's department had to relocate several athletic camps and private athletic programs to other town facilities.

Tesei said the school board will have to discuss with the Board of Estimate and Taxation and possibly the Representative Town Meeting, any financial impact the environmental testing, remediation work and delays will have the project's cost.

"It looks like schools will open on time but we don't know which fields will be open," Eves said. Even Cardinal Stadium, long a favorite for runners because of its running track, has been placed off limits. But Eves hinted the stadium may be reopened because it is the furthest field from construction site and probably unaffected by any contamination.

Because of the construction in the west or rear lot of the school, and the adjacent contaminated fields, there will be a yet-to-be determined reconfiguration of parking in that area, Eves added.