Town Approves Contract To Find Potential Contaminants at Police Station

Town officials this month approved a contract with a New Haven-based engineering firm to help understand the full cost of the estimated $29 million renovation of the New Canaan Police Department.

During its most recent meeting, the Board of Selectmen approved an approximately $43,000 contract with Fuss & O’Neill for an exploratory asbestos inspection and monitoring of the renovation project. 

The company has been a consultant on the project since July of 2021, Department of Public Works Senior Engineer Joseph Zagarenski said during the selectmen’s Dec. 5 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Now that the department has relocated to 39 Locust Ave., inspection and demolition of previously untouched concrete walls can finally begin, Zagarenski said.

“They [Fuss & O’Neill] will work with our demolition contractor to identify any additional hazardous materials that may be concealed within the building that we couldn’t previously see because it was an occupied police station and we couldn’t demo the walls,” he said. 

The $43,191 contract is built into the project’s budget, Zagarenski said. 

The firm’s work will mark the first time that every surface of the 1927-built NCPD will be exposed, so it’s important to know what potential materials renovators will come across, he said.

“Again, we can’t see behind walls so that’s the problematic part,” Zagarenski said. 

Harmful contaminants aren’t the only hidden material found on 174 South Ave. Fuss & O’Neill conducted a phase one environmental site assessment in June 2023, where they identified the location of previously removed underground oil storage tanks that had been removed in 1989, he said.

“There wasn’t really a great history of the removal process,” Zagarenski said. “So that was why we identified where they were and we know that when we start to excavate in and around those areas that we may encounter some unsuitable soil.”

First Selectman Dionna Carlson asked about a potential soil test conducted back when the oil tanks were removed. 

Zagarenski said that although there were tests conducted at the time, due to changing standards the findings are limited and there is the potential to run into some old heating systems. 

Moving into this next phase, the Board approved the compilation of all the required surveying, testing data, disposal records and creation of a report by Fuss & O’Neill. 

“It’s going to be a very important part of this whole project,” Selectman Steve Karl said. 

Carlson, Karl and Selectman Amy Murphy Carroll voted 3-0 in favor of the contract.