Category Archives: Medfield State Hospital

Medfield State Hospital abutters have received certified mail notice from DAM of its application for a dredge permit, as follows –

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Notification to Abutters

Pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 91, 314 CMR 9.00, notice is given of a Dredge Permit application. You are hereby notified of the following:

A. The name of the applicant is: MA Division of Capital Asset Management
John 0′ Donnell One Ashburton Place 15th Floor
Boston, MA 02108

B. The name of the owner is: same as above

C. Work will include the re-grading to stabilize banks of the Charles River and
remediation of contaminated sediment within the Charles River.

D. The address of the lot(s) where the activity is proposed: 45 Hospital Road.

E. Copies of the Dredge Permit may be examined at:

MassDEP Central Regional Office
627 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608

F. Information regarding the project may be obtained from Anthony Zerilli at Weston & Sampson, by calling (978) 532-1900 ext. 2414 between the hours of 8:00 – 5:00 on the following days of the week: Monday – Friday.

Written comments on the Chapter 91 Dredge Permit must be sent within fifteen,
(15) days of this notice to:

MassDEP Central Regional Office
627 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608

Any group of ten persons, any aggrieved person, or any governmental body or
private organization with a mandate to protect the environment who submits
written comments may appeal the Department’s Certification and Dredge Permit.  Failure to submit written comments before the end of the public comment period may result in the waiver of any right to an adjudicatory hearing.

NoticeChpt91permit Appl 6-4-12.PDF

John Nunnari reported yesterday evening that the state senate had passed Sen. Timilty’s second budget amendment in an altered version, that appears below.  First, it calls for the “unrestricted use” standard, which I understand to mean that the dumped waste needs to be removed.  Second, the amendment calls for a result that “fully complies with the recommendations regarding flood plain restoration and management as described in the September 2011 Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report.”  The Board of Selectmen will met in executive session with our new environmental attorney at our 6/5 meeting, and since it was her idea to cite that Climate Change Adaptation Report, we will learn from her the ramifications.  My current understanding is that the report is aimed at restoring wetlands for flood storage, which would seem to argue for removal of the waste dumped into the wetlands at the MSH.

This was John’s email –

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Amendment was adopted.

john

2nd Redraft GOV 135

Medfield State Hospital Cleanup Plan

Mr. Timilty moved that the bill be amended by inserting after section 156 the following section:-

“SECTION 156A. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the division of capital asset management and maintenance, in consultation with the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, shall review its cleanup plan for the site of the former Medfield State Hospital and report on whether it: (i) is based on a standard of unrestricted use for the site; (ii) fully complies with all state and federal environmental regulations and standards; (iii) fully complies with the recommendations regarding flood plain restoration and management as described in the September 2011 Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report; and (iv) addresses the concerns of the town of Medfield and of surrounding communities in the Charles River watershed. The division shall report its findings and any reasons for non-compliance or failure to address the concerns of the town of Medfield and of surrounding communities in the Charles River watershed to the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives not later than October 1, 2012.

John Nunnari just reported that Sen. Timilty’s “Amend. 134 has been rejected. Nothing yet on 135.”

GOV 134
Medfield State Hospital
Mr. Timilty moved that the bill be amended, in Section 2, in item 1102-3205, by inserting at the end thereof the following:- “provided further, that not less than $5,000,000 shall be expended for the total removal of all toxic materials from the site of the former Medfield State Hospital to the extent that, upon completion of the cleanup, the land is not subject to any activity and use limitation and is suitable for unrestricted use”; and in the same item by striking the figure “16,250,000” and inserting in place thereof the the following figure:- “21,250,000”

GOV 135
Medfield State Hospital Cleanup Plan
Mr. Timilty moved that the bill be amended by adding at the end thereof the following new Section:-

SECTION X. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the division of capital asset management and maintenance shall not implement any cleanup plan for the site of the former Medfield State Hospital until the plan (i) is based on a standard of unrestricted use for the site (ii) fully complies with all state and federal environmental regulations and standards (ii) complies with the recommendations regarding flood plain restoration and management as described in the September 2011 Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report (iv) is approved by a vote of the Medfield board of selectmen and (v) addresses the concerns of surrounding communities in the Charles River watershed. The department shall immediately begin a revision of its current plan to meet the requirements set forth in this section

Senator Kerry has written the Governor questioning the state’s proposed clean up of the Medfield State Hospital, at Bill Massaro’s urging.  I just uploaded Sen. Kerry’s letter that Bill provided to me and it can be read via this link – https://medfield02052.blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/20120516-senkerryltr-to-govattach.pdf

5/23/2012  2:32PM
RE: Sen. Timilty budget amendments with respect to Medfield State Hospital
Garlick, Denise
MSH – Medfield State Hospital Reuse
“Osler L. Peterson”
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Dear Pete:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the proposed plans for the former Medfield State Hospital site. I unequivocally support the united position of the citizens, volunteer and elected Boards, and the Town Administration of Medfield regarding the remediation of hazardous fill areas at the former Medfield State Hospital property.

Please find attached my letter to Governor Patrick, outlining my position. Also find attached the news article regarding the $15,000 grant funding, which I advocated for that will assist the town forward with this project.

Additionally, I have spoken with the Chairman of House Ways and Means regarding my support of Senator Timilty’s budget amendments regarding the Department of Capital Asset Management (DCAM).

Finally, I am in discussions to host a meeting with state legislators, other elected officials and concerned parties adjacent to Medfield that will be affected by any decisions made about the property.

I will continue to be in close communication will all concerned parties and welcome your partnership and suggestions. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in service,

Denise C. Garlick

State Representative

13th Norfolk District
Needham, Dover and Medfield

Telephone: 617-722-2430

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Rep. Garlick’s letter to the Governor – https://medfield02052.blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/20120522-denise-garlick-letter-to-gov.pdf

I just revised Mike’s draft of the mission statement to the State Hospital Use/Purchase Study (SHUPS) committee.  SHUPS will review the issues surrounding the purchase of the Medfield State Hospital site by the town and/or other alternatives for the Town of Medfield.  My revisions just reordered what Mike drafted – I put the mission at the top, and the purchase by the town at the top of the mission, as that was the reason we created SHUPS.  My draft follows – ===========================================================
DRAFT MISSION STATEMENT FOR PURCHASE OF STATE HOSPITAL SITE

Mission

The Board of Selectmen would like the State Hospital Redevelopment Study Committee to evaluate the potential purchase of the Medfield State Hospital property by the Town of Medfield, including the costs, benefits, and any issues related to such a purchase.  This can include any additional capabilities of the town government that would be required to oversee the purchase, clean-up and redevelopment and/or reuse of a property of this size and scope.

Additionally, the Board of Selectmen seek advice on the potential economic uses of the former hospital site, a review of Chapter 269 of the Acts of 2008, and an examination of the expected recommendations from Jones, Lange, LaSalle.  This can be from the point of view of the residents of the Town of Medfield and the residents of the immediate neighborhoods, considering positive and/or negative impacts on the quality of life, the cost of servicing potential reuses, traffic, the availability of water, sewer and other town services, the impact on the school, library and park and recreation departments, the potential revenue stream, the impact of redevelopment on the Town’s requirement to provide a 10% share of affordable housing units, and any other factors that should be considered. Based on these findings, the Committee should make its own recommendations to the Board of Selectmen as to how the property might be redeveloped.

Background

The closing of Medfield State Hospital in 2003 left the Town of Medfield and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a site of over 200 acres on banks of the Charles River in the northwesterly corner of the Town. This property, containing over 50 buildings, virtually all of which have been vacant for eight years or more is zoned for either Business-Industrial use or Agricultural use. The site is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated as a local historic district (the Hospital Farm Historic District) by vote of the Medfield Town Meeting on April 25, 1994.

The property was declared surplus by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and is now managed by the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM). Over the past two years, DCAM has been attempting to clean portions of the site, which have been contaminated by dumping ·of hazardous waste. DCAM would like to finish the clean-up as quickly as possible and then dispose of the property by sale and/or by transfer to other state agencies. The Board of Selectmen has previously negotiated a disposition agreement with DCAM, which was enacted as Chapter 269 of the Acts of 2008. This agreement requires several actions be taken by the Town and/or the Commonwealth. For a variety of reasons, these actions have never been taken. In the meantime, the extent of the contamination was recognized and actions to identify the contaminants and clean-up the site are underway. DCAM has taken the position that it will handle the contamination along the banks of the Charles River and, to a lesser extent, on primarily vacant land on the westerly side of Hospital Road (the Sledding Hill). It has also stated that the clean-up of the contamination on the land and in the buildings to be sold, will be the responsibility of the purchaser.

For a number of years DCAM refused to consider the sale of the site to the Town of Medfield. Recently, under a new administration, DCAM has indicated that it would be willing to consider the sale of the site to the Town of Medfield, after reserving the river front property for transfer to the Department of Environmental Mana·gement’s Division of Forest and Parks. No price or value for the property to be sold has been discussed. DCAM has also recently engaged the real estate firm of Jones, Lange, LaSalle to undertake a study of potential redevelopment options for the property and it is expeCted that this study will be completed in the near future.

Conclusion

On behalf of the residents of Medfield, we, the Selectmen, would like to thank each of you for taking time out of your busy schedules and for putting your talents to work on a difficult and complex problem. It is only because of the willingness of so many of Medfield’s residents to step up and volunteer their services, that Medfield can maintain its small-town character and provide quality town services. The task you are taking on deals with one of the most important decisions facing the Town of Medfield in recent memory and your recommendations will be given the most serious consideration by this Board and other Town Boards and Committees, by the Town Meeting and by the Residents of Medfield.

Charles River Watershed Association,190 Park Road, Weston, MA 02493, Telephone (781) 788-0007 Fax (781) 788-0057
Website: http://www.charlesriver.org Email: charles@crwa.org

Via Email

May 22, 2012

Hon. Therese Murray
Senate President
State House – Room 332 Boston, MA 02133

Re: Budget Amendments 134 and 135, Senator Timilty amendments

Dear Senate President Murray:

The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) was formed in 1965 in response to public concern about the declining condition of the Charles River. Since its inception, CRWA has figured prominently in all major clean-up and resource protection efforts in the watershed, which stretches from Hopkinton to Boston. We have over 5,000 members and in September, 2011, the Charles River was awarded the prestigious International Riverprize for excellence in river management by the International River Foundation. CRWA is actively involved in the Division of Capital Asset Management’s (DCAM’s) remediation of the former Medfield State Hospital, now a surplus property: we have attended numerous public meetings, met with DCAM’s Commissioner and MassDEP, and we have submitted extensive written comments on every phase of this G.L. c. 21E cleanup.

We oppose DCAM’s current cleanup plan, which will only remove a small portion (less than 15% of the more than 75,000 tons) of the contaminated fill located along the banks and in the floodplain of the Charles River. This 3.2-acre dump, 15 feet in depth, was created by the MA Department of Mental Health, which operated the Medfield State Hospital for over 100 years. The fill area contains asbestos, incineration ash, lead and other metals classified as hazardous material, and is located on top of what has been identified as a potentially productive aquifer for potable water supply.

Leaving 65,000 tons of this material in an unlined hazardous waste landfill with only a partial liner and capped only by soil will allow rainwater to penetrate into the fill, as well as allow contaminants to interact with the groundwater, which flows directly into the Charles River. DCAM’s proposed solution will also necessitate use restrictions on the property and require long-term monitoring and maintenance, greatly increasing future operation and maintenance costs. The proposed remediation is inadequate and not environmentally protective.
CRWA supports budget amendments # 134 and 135, which would require a full cleanup of this site and asks you to support these amendments as well. Amendment 134 adds not less than $5 million for “the total removal of all toxic materials from the site of the former Medfield State Hospital” so that it is “suitable for unrestricted use” and Amendment 135, Section X adds a new section prohibiting DCAM from proceeding with any remediation that doesn’t result in
future unrestricted use, and that any plan must be approved by the Medfield Board of Selectmen and address concerns of surrounding communities in the Charles River watershed.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this important matter. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at 781-788-0007, ext. 228.
Sincerely,
Elise Leduc
CRWA Rita Barron Scientist
cc: Senator James Timilty
Senator Cynthia Creem
Senator Mike Rush
Senator William Brownsberger
Senator Richard Ross
Representative Denise Garlick
Representative Daniel Winslow

I just had a call from Rob McLaughlin saying that Medfield has to stop emailing the senate staffers, as it is losing us more with the Senate President than we are gaining (copy of my notes of the call are attached below) –

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DATE:   5/22/2012, TIME:   9:47AM
RE:  please do not email staffers – it is causing a problem
TELEPHONE CALL FROM:   Rob McLaughlin, Chief of Staff to Sen. James Timilty

MATTER:  Medfield State Hospital Reuse

MY NOTES OF THE CALL:
1 – please ask Medfielfd people to not email the senate staffers – it is causing a problem, losing us more than we gain with the Senate President
2 – do not copy emails to the following senate staffers
Ariana Kelly,
David Selty, and/or
Bob Ross

All those senate staffers are doing now is just ignoring the emails and forwarding them to Rob McLaughlin
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