North End residents urge foreclosure

By AMY CALDER
Staff Writer

 WATERVILLE -- Foreclose on the Wolman Steel Co. property. Clean up the High Street end of the lot and maybe put a gazebo and swings there, but maintain most of the land as green space.

Those were the wishes aired Wednesday by North End residents considering the fate of the property, which two years ago was the site of a $750,000 environmental cleanup.

About a dozen people turned out for a meeting of the North End Neighborhood Committee, held Wednesday in the council chambers at The Center downtown.

Councilors Henry Beck, D-Ward 2, and Charles "Fred" Stubbert Jr., D-Ward 1, said councilors on Feb. 20 will consider foreclosing on the property, now owned by the Wolman family. Input from residents will be important to the councilors' decision, Beck said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection currently has a lien on the property because of the cleanup costs.

The city had the option to foreclose but did not do so because the site was contaminated. After the cleanup, city officials still hesitated to foreclose because they have been trying to get rid of property that is not generating tax dollars. The city could foreclose and sell the land, but could be liable for the cleanup costs.

Some residents initially said they wanted to see a park on the site, but the cost of building and maintaining it could be expensive.

"If the city takes that property, of course, it's not taxable and to make a park out of it is going to cost that much more," Stubbert said.

The 21/2 acres formerly housed a warehouse and scrap-metal yard that closed in 1994. In 2005, the DEP and federal Environmental Protection Agency removed 5,000 tons of soil containing lead and polychloriated bi-phenyls, also known as PCBs. PCBs are toxic chemicals.

"The property is suitable for development," DEP project manager Tracy Weston Kelly wrote Tuesday in an e-mail. "DEP plans to work with the city to outline the terms of the liability release and determine the best future use of the property."

Residents asked City Planner Ann G. Beverage about the value of the property. She said the city's last assessment of the property, minus the buildings (now gone), was $17,200. The land may not be subdivided without building a road and installing utilities, she said.

Drummond Avenue resident Susan Aucoin said her property backs into the Wolman land. She said the city is losing green space where deer, moose, red fox, hawks and birds once lived, due to clear-cutting that has taken place off Upper Main Street. The Wolman property also was clear-cut, she said.

"My suggestion is to say we should plant trees there; we should leave it a green space," Aucoin said.

Some said the land could be used as a walkway for children going to the nearby George J. Mitchell School or for activities such as nature studies.

State Rep. Marilyn Canavan, D-Waterville, said she thought that was a great idea. She said that when she negotiated with DEP to clean up the Wolman property she learned that the agency has negotiated with other cities that have undergone costly cleanups. In some cases, the cities have benefited when they wanted to build parks, she added.

"In this case, if it was a walkway for children, that might work as well," she said.

Arthur Turmelle said North End residents will have to spend a little time and energy, possibly planting trees on the site and raising money to fix it up.

"We can certainly make it look better than it is now," he said. "I'm game."

The committee agreed to meet on the third Wednesday of every month, with the next meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 21 at George J. Mitchell School, if that space is available.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

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