Hud grant provides $2m for nashua mill clean-up

The federal government has agreed to contribute $2 million in funds to help with the clean up of a contaminated piece of land which is part of Nashua’s Millyard complex. The site has been long designated for redevelopment, but the heavy contamination has delayed any plans. The grant money is coming from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and will be used to finance work at the Boiler House, a city-owned site which once housed the engine of a former textile mill. The money will be used to remove asbestos, contaminated soil, and underground storage tanks from the site. Mayor Donnalee Lozeau announced May 2 that the city had received the grant via the HUD Brownfields Economic Development Initiative. City economic development director Kathy Hersh said, “The timing allows the city to consider this impact as we review the latest plans for the Broad Street Parkway project.” Brownfield is the term used to describe sites which are federally designated as being contaminated sites. The Nashua Brownfields Program, led by Deb Chisholm, will provide the city with technical expertise on how to deal with the environmental issues raised by the Brownfields site. The Boiler House is located in an area which is slated for development into the Broad Street Parkway. The redevelopment project is intended to help remedy issues concerning the possible environmental impact caused by heavy contamination in parts of the Millyard. Approximately three quarters of the money has been designated to cover the cost of removing asbestos from the site. The asbestos is contained within buildings on the site. Asbestos is expensive to remove and dispose of due to the health risks of asbestos exposure. Safety precautions which must be taken during asbestos handling and removal, and the extra expense of disposing of asbestos-containing waste, make any projects involving asbestos removal costly. While the asbestos does not pose a danger outside the buildings, there are sections where the asbestos is wrapped around pipes and may prove difficult to access due to the height of the ceilings inside the buildings. Chisholm says of the current project, that while the contaminated soil is fairly standard in comparison to what is found in most urban fill areas and is not a significant problem, “The asbestos has to be cleaned up whether the building is rehabbed or gets demolished.” (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)