Work to mitigate the massive dirt pile laced with Boron next to Snyder Girotti Elementary School in Bristol Borough is expected to start by the end of next month.
Following recent approval from the Bristol Borough School Board, the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority on Friday awarded a $889,000 contract to knock down the pile and cap it to contractor ECI.
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Bucks County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Bob White said he expects fencing to go up at the school by the end of February and mitigation efforts should begin soon after.
The school district is getting a break as 75 percent of the work is being paid for by a grant administered by the redevelopment authority.
Credit: Jeff Bohen LevittownNow.com
The massive pile is contaminated with Boron – a chemical element used in fiberglass insulation, sodium perborate bleach and rockets as an ignition source – has been a source of friction in the community for approximately six years.
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Officials said the plan is to spread the pile out over the large field between the school building and Buckley Street. White on Friday said plans are to grade the field, install a driveway from Buckley Street to the school, add some parking spaces and improve drainage in the area. The contaminated dirt will be protected by a geo-textile and two feet of clear fill and top soil.
While the grant money can not be used to pay for playground equipment, School Board President Charles Groff told LevittownNow.com the district hopes to use the money to purchase a soft covering for an area where a playground will eventually go.
The plans for remediation of the contaminated pile, often a summer hangout for kids, will improve the traffic flow and recreation areas at Snyder Girotti, officials said.
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