Removal Effort Begins at Gardner, Mass. Site (MA)
(Boston, Mass. – Aug. 11, 2010) –
EPA has begun an effort to remove hazardous materials from a former
furniture mill, Country Home Furnishings, in Gardner,
Mass.
The former Country Home Furnishings building has
been vacant since 2000, and signs of trespassing are obvious on the
property. Due to hazardous material inside the building, the
property has been deemed unsafe (materials include asbestos,
hazardous waste, and flammable materials).
EPA has initiated an action to remove hazardous
material from the building and property. The building will be
carefully demolished in order to safely remove the hazardous
materials. Air monitoring of the site is in place in the
abutting area to ensure that contaminants are not migrating off
site and presenting issues of health threat to neighboring
residents. The removal effort has a budget of $600,000 and is
expected to take approximately four months.
The company operated in Gardner for many years,
milling, assembling and finishing furniture on the site.
After closing in 2000 the property remained vacant with a
deteriorated building, posing numerous threats including
flammability. Previously, in 1996, EPA conducted a removal
action at the site, after finding 65 containers of flammable
solvents, stains, lacquers, and lacquer dust in a wooden shed
attached to the main building. The removed contents were
safely shipped to a hazardous waste facility.
More information: EPA Emergency Response and
Removal Program (http://epa.gov/region1/superfund/er/index.html)
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