Renovation Communication
Environmental Consultants (203) 324-2222
And Laboratory Services Fax (203) 324-9857
HYGENIX, INC.
49 Woodside Street Stamford, CT 06902
MEETING HOUSE HILL SCHOOL
PCB FACT SHEET
June 7, 2011
This fact sheet is being provided to you as part of a community outreach program that is required by the EPA for all PCB remediation projects. This fact sheet is in addition to previous information that has been provided to you. No additional hazardous materials have been identified.
As part of the preparation for the renovation project for the Meeting House Hill School (MHHS), various environmental samplings were performed by our environmental consultants, HYGENIX, Inc. The purpose of their inspections was to identify potential environmental hazards that may be present so that accidental disturbance does not occur and hazardous materials can be properly removed.
During the course of their inspection polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found to be present in caulking (sealant), primarily around windows, doors and expansion joints and the soil and masonry adjacent to the windows, doors and expansion joints. PCBs were used in caulking materials until 1978. The caulking we found is currently in intact condition, and generally inaccessible to students and staff.
The PCBs identified at Meeting House Hill School will be removed in accordance with a “Self-Implementing On-Site Cleanup and Disposal Plan” (SIP) that has been approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The SIP identifies the location of the PCBs, specifies removal and disposal methods and provides for independent third party testing to ensure that all PCBs have been removed and that the building has met the re-occupancy standards. The plan also includes the results of the testing that was performed to identify the location and extent of PCBs at Meeting House Hill School.
The first phase of removal was completed during the summer of 2010 with the complete remediation and demolition of the Butler Wing (400 wing). The remaining PCB removal work will be coordinated with other construction activities and is scheduled for the summer of 2011 and 2012 when the school is not occupied by children. No PCB remediation will occur when children are present in the building.
During the summer 2010 recess, the New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee had the air and contact surfaces inside the PCB affected areas to determine if they were contaminated with PCBs. All of the air samples and all of the surface wipe samples came back below the limits established by the US EPA and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH).
New Fairfield Public Schools has implemented a series of preventative steps to ensure that PCB contamination levels remain low through the complete removal of all PCB materials. These steps are described in the EPA guidance document “Preventing Exposure to PCBs in Caulking Material” located at http://www.epa.gov/pcbsincaulk/caulkexposure.pdf
Additional information about PCBs in caulk and other building materials is available at the EPA’s PCB web page at
http://www.epa.gov/pcbsincaulk/
The New Fairfield Board of Education has established a web page to keep the public informed about PCBs at Meeting House Hill School. You can reach the web page by going to New Fairfield Public Schools we page at www.newfairfieldschools.org/ , selecting “Our Schools,”then selecting “Meeting House Hill School,” then selecting “Renovation Project,” then selecting “Communication.” This page will be updated as the PCB remediation project progresses and currently contains the following information:
- Meeting House Hill School PCB Fact Sheet
- Meeting House Hill School PCB Outreach Program
- Self-Implementing On-Site Cleanup and Disposal Plan (SIP)
- EPA Approval Letter for the SIP
- Results of Air and Wipe Samples Collected
- Links to EPA PCB Information
James Twitchell
HYGENIX, Inc.
PCB Remediation Information
- Outreach program
- Outreach activities
- Self-implementing on-site cleanup and disposal plan
- Response to letter to EPA
- Second response letter to EPA
- PCB caulk and building material table
- EPA approval letter
- Pre-abatement PCB wipe and air sample results
- Links to PCB information
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The links below provide updates on the Meeting House Hill School
renovation project.
Power Point presentation from the February 7, 2011 Parent Forum