Fenced-in sections of bike path?

[frederic.livejournal.com]

There are two fenced-in areas on the bike path between Willow and Cedar (near the park and the old location of the donut factory) that are labeled with Environmental Protection Agency signs. There has been one for quite a while, and now there are two. Any word of what the situation is and any schedule for its remediation?

Comments

[misterthorn.livejournal.com]

I thought I remembered seeing an article about how someone wanted to make some (more) of the space adjacent to the bike path into community garden, but soil testing found high levels of arsenic, presumed to be left over from when the bike path was a railroad.

That was a while ago now, so my memory is fuzzy and I am having a hard time finding the article. Maybe this will jog someone else's memory though....

[frederic.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That was enough to get me Googling in the right direction. From boston.com October 2009:

NO GARDENS YET - Though the city continues to address three contaminated Somerville sites, environmental cleanup is still a ways off. The city recently received a $95,000 state grant for the former Kiley Barrel property “that will allow us to complete all our assessment work and come up with a plan,’’ said Monica Lamboy, head of the city’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Work had stalled while the city awaited more funds. Kiley workers used to hose off barrels of all kinds, so any number of contaminants may be in the soil. So far, inspectors have found metals, PCBs, and petroleum. The city is considering that land for development since it’s in a newly rezoned part of Union Square. Officials have met with homeowners on an adjacent strip of Allen Street. “The short-term plan right now is to lay a membrane’’ on affected soil and pour “6 inches of gravel on top of that’’ to cap the site, Lamboy said, while the city develops long-term solutions. One tenant had a garden on the property, which was “taken out immediately.’’ As for a patch of arsenic-contaminated ground alongside the bike path by Lexington Park, it will soon get sturdier fencing to keep dogs and people out. Arsenic was used to kill weeds near train stations, and that’s where one used to be. For that reason Lamboy didn’t expect to find problems on nearby portions of the path, “but we will as part of the larger project make sure we identify’’ any potential issues. The department has requested capital funds to start the remediation work. For more information, go to www.somervillema.gov.

[aki.livejournal.com]

Both areas have been fenced in for multiple months now.

Side note: I'm shocked, shocked I tell you, that the condos directly adjacent to the EPA-fenced off property have not sold out immediately. Shocked.