Wren Gomes is a first-year communications major at Saint Michael’s College. This article is published through a collaboration between The Winooski News and a journalism course at Saint Michael’s College.
WINOOSKI — The City of Winooski is applying for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove hazardous materials found in the soil and groundwater underneath the library and garden of the O’Brien Community Center.
The pollutants in the soil are known as PCEs, which are chemicals that have been linked to cancer, especially when a person is exposed to them for prolonged periods.
The source of the PCE, also known as tetrachloroethylene, may have been from a dry-cleaning facility that was previously in the area for at least a decade, according to Aske Doerge, the senior staff scientist for KAS, an environmental contractor working with the city.
The contaminated soil was discovered in 2024 and has since been controlled through the installation of a sub-slab depressurization device, which prevents the intrusion of harmful soil vapor.
According to Doerge, there has been no risk to the surrounding areas. However, the upcoming redevelopment project of the O’Brien Community Center, which includes a plan to expand the library and install stormwater systems in the garden, calls for these issues to be addressed.
The estimated cost for cleanup is just under $1 million, Amy Demetrowitz, the chief operating officer for the Champlain Housing Trust, told the city council Jan. 26.
The council showed support for the application.
“It’s necessary to clean them up before we have any type of development on it,” Mayor Thomas Renner said during the Jan. 26 meeting.
After receiving the cost estimate, the EPA grant was brought to the attention of the Champlain Housing Trust, which owns the O’Brien Center.
Demetrowitz said if the city does not receive the grant, only the soil with the highest concentration of PCEs can be removed, leaving slightly contaminated soils behind. If the city does receive the grant, all of the soil will be removed.
The city will hear if it will receive the grant in June.