Park Cleanup Efforts Continue

BERLIN – Berlin Falls Park remains closed as cleanup efforts continue in the wake of a chemical spill in June.

The town council voted this week to approve a requisition to Chesapeake Environmental Services for roughly $27,000. The bill comes after the council agreed to pay the firm $107,000 last month.

“This is the second invoice we’ve got and not the last,” Mayor Gee Williams said. “This gets us up to date now, but we’re anticipating at least one or two more requisitions before the cleanup’s completely done.”

Williams said the town was paying monthly invoices to Chesapeake Environmental Services as the cleanup of the park continued. The process has been ongoing since a chemical spill was discovered in June as several old buildings on the property were being demolished.

When asked by residents in attendance at Monday’s meeting when the cleanup would be complete, Williams said he hoped work would be done in August. He said the town was waiting for news from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).

“The best we can guess, we’re thinking by the end of August,” Williams said. “Everything’s proceeding, but when they send us their final OK is up to them.”

He said that so far, MDE had approved of the town’s actions in the wake of the spill. While the actual chemical that spilled has been cleaned up, Williams said there was still work that needed to be done.

“There is some residual and that’s the next thing we’re going to be doing,” he said. “It’s right at the base of the building where all this happened… we just want it gone. That’s why we’re holding off on reopening the park.”

The park has been closed, and monitored by security guards, since late July.

When contacted this week, MDE spokesman Jay Apperson confirmed that the investigation into the spill at the park was ongoing.

“MDE is investigating the spill and is overseeing the cleanup of the site,” he said. “The town’s contractor completed an initial round of cleanup, determined more cleanup would be needed and prepared a plan. We have approved the plan, which is to include the removal of pipes and equipment which would then be decontaminated and properly disposed of. Once the equipment is removed, additional sediment and liquid would be removed and additional testing performed.”

Though the park remains closed as cleanup continues, the council voted unanimously this week to rename the property Heron Park. The new name came at the recommendation of the park’s advisory committee following a community survey.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.