Get the lead out!

Contaminated pile looking towards Applewood Retirement Community

UPDATE 9:15 AM: Perhaps the only thing more scary than the following story is the fact that it's probably perfectly legal. My reliable town offical source wants readers to know the Department of Environmental Protection has different "handling requirements of this material from an agricultural by-product use vs. non agricultural."

Of course the way a human body reacts to the presence of the dangerous substances doesn't change depending on whether that exposure was caused by agricultural uses vs. an industrial smelting plant.
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In South Amherst lead and arsenic go together like smoke and fire.

Commercial apple orchards operated by Atkins farms (founded 1887) and original competitor Wentworth farms needed an effective insecticide, easy to apply in bulk, to protect their cash crop. They found it in lead arsenate and used many tons of it over a couple generations until the popular pesticide was banned by the EPA in 1988.

Today these old apple orchards still contain the hazardous chemical cocktail bonded to the soil. Recently controversy arose when the town cut a deal with Baltazar Contractors, who won the $6,060,220 bid to construct two Atkins corner roundabouts, to dispose of 6,000 tons of lead arsenic contaminated soil in the old landfill for a tidy six-figure sum in dump fees, which the town would then cover over with three feet of clean fill to satisfy a DEP order to regrade the sagging landfill cap.

Neighbors--already mobilized to fight a 4.75 megawatt solar array farm at the site (which requires a level terrain)--complained bitterly about the contaminated soil coming to their backyards, and even though the DEP deemed it safe (with many conditions attached), the town scuttled plans to accept it in the landfill, thus leaving the dirt in uncovered piles adjacent to one of the busiest businesses in Amherst.

Sovereign Builders is concurrently constructing a spacious warehouse for Atkins immediately behind the popular store, which is of course located in an old orchard. I took a soil sample (one of three) from the large uncovered pile of dirt that this private sector project has generated off West Bay Road currently towering over the landscape only a couple yards from Atkins Market and Applewood Retirement Community (built on 10 acres of former apple orchard.)

The UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Lab found 427 ppm lead in the pile; unfortunately they do not not screen for arsenic. Lead arsenate contains one atom of aresenic for every atom of lead, and as an atom of lead is 2.8 times as heavy as an atom of arsenic, if only lead arsenate is present, a soil containing 427 ppm of lead will contain 153 ppm of arsenic. Arsenic levels above 20 ppm are a cause for concern.

According to the town the known contaminated soil from the road roundabout reconstruction project tested at 46 milligrams/kilogram for arsenic, and if my sample is from the same batch, 273 ppm for lead.

Twenty years ago when Applewood was constructed on a former Atkins orchard the excavated soil was taken to an expensive special handling facility, as was soil from the Eric Carle Museum construction project ten years ago.

Even if no arsenic is present (and that seems unlikely) the lead content alone requires special attention and handling. According to the UMass soil lab "If estimated total lead levels are above 300 ppm, young children and pregnant woman should avoid soil contact."

And with hot, dry, windy summer weather fast approaching, one large pile of bare dirt could send contaminated dust blowing in the wind.

Contaminated pile looking toward Atkins Country Market

UMass Soil Lab analysis ( see "Atkins Hill" sample)

Roundabout construction in front of Atkins Market
lead tested at 273 ppm (low)

UPDATED Friday the 13th: the hill is getting B-I-G-G-E-R

DEP guidance on landfill regrading

War Memorial Pool wins another battle

First opened in 1955 and beloved by generations of children, the centrally located War Memorial Pool closed two years ago but suddenly came back from the dead with an improbable combination of a seldom used town meeting "motion to reconsider" (the Community Services Budget) by Julia Rueschemeyer which passed 93/72, and then her follow-up motion to amend the budget by adding $65,250 to fund operations this summer.

The Select Board voted 4-1 against the motion to reconsider and the Grinch-like Finance Committee voiced their displeasure. Leisure Services Director Linda Chalfant had nothing positive to say. But recreation czar Stan Ziomek, who spearheaded the construction of the pool 55 years ago, spoke passionately in defense of renovating and reopening the aging facility.

The motion carried 92/75.

Party House repeat offenders

23 Tracy Circle

So even my casual readers will recognize this house and address, 23 Tracy Circle as a recent Party House of the Weekend winner. Yes, the losers who created the Facebook page "Fuck The Fines" are b-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ck. And yes, they were fined $1,800 for Friday's late night party.

According to APD narrative:
"Upon arrival Officers could clearly hear loud TV, noise and voices laughing and shouting from open windows. Several people could be seen through a partially open picture window . There have been 5-6 calls to house #23 for the same complaints with verbal warnings as well as written Town By Law citations. Three residents were placed under arrest for noise violation and nuisance house. 12-15 guests were asked to leave and the house was secured."

Arrested and charge with noise and nuisance house:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx age 21
Emerson E. Rutkowski, 36 Puritan Park, Swampscott, MA age 20
Michael Upham, 53 Sherwood Road, Swampscott, MA age 21

Property owner: who ya gonna call? Mr Gesualdi owns a few properties in Amherst.

Amherst Sunday Morning

Thanks Mom

Lunch at Judie's: great way to thank Mom

Carol Hepburn introduces Jada to baby lamb

Frat House 382 N. Pleasant St (their Moms would be so proud)

37 Phillips Street

At ease

But tomorrow they will be back to the grind, as Amherst's $4.5 million road reconstruction continues.

This one's for you Major David L. Brodeur

AFD remembers: three of their own now in service, and Major Brodeur.

Although you made the ultimate sacrifice a few days before the gates of Hell sprung wide open to welcome the unholy madman who set you on a collision course with destiny, rest easier knowing--along with your friends and family--our nation will never forget your devotion to duty in the never ending mission to keep our citizens safe.

King of the decadent street

Sunday Morning after a rough Saturday night

Decadence and student party houses go together like pizza and beer. Take Phillips Street for instance (and the Amherst Redevelopment Authority could), scene of a major disturbance last weekend--specifically 33 Phillips Street, where 11 arrests occurred on Saturday night starting as early as 6:46 PM.

The house is owned by STEPHAN GHARABEGIAN under protection of a Limited Liability Partnership KNIGHT PROPERTIES LLC (with his wife, Angela.)

In addition to this party house the pair own three others on Phillips Street (#11, #37, #45) thus making a total of 4 out-of-nine, almost half the housing for a street the ARA consultant deemed "decadent".

Color schematic of the Gateway area showing properties with decadent conditions (Phillips Street, where all but one wins the prize)
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To: Larry Kelley
Sent: Mon, May 2, 2011 8:43 pm
Subject: towns reputation...

Hi Larry,

My teen daughter had a soccer game on Sunday on the UMass campus against a team from Maine. As we waited for a game against a Rhode Island team to end, I heard the out of towners talking. They were going on about how disgusting it was on their way to campus and said they "would NEVER send their kids to school there." They were talking about the party remnants, beer cans, trash, etc. I started to defend our town and explain the Hobart mess and just stopped. It isn't just that weekend, and we all see it. I was actually embarrassed and didn't say another word. Do you think sharing this with someone at UMass or the town manager would make any difference at all?

Mary

Let's hope Mary...let's hope.

Additional housing inspector survives Town Meeting

The $140,789 budget increase in Conservation and Development an 18.9% increase over last year's budget, funding a much needed additional housing code inspector, a part-time planning consultant, plus an additional administrative assistant survived an assault from activist and former Select Board member Hwei-Ling Greeney, who moved to ax the amount from the Town Manager's budget unanimously approved by the Select Board.

The town, UMass (and this blogger) have declared war on rowdy student party houses scattered like weeds among residential neighborhoods. The additional building inspector is a key asset in curbing unsafe, unsanitary, overcrowded conditions that rile long established neighbors and casts a shadow over the town's image and reputation.

Town Meeting overwhelmingly passed the budget on a voice vote.