The hazardous abatement project at the Winslow School kicked off in earnest on Monday, March 4th with the removal of two underground storage tanks which previously stored oil for the buildings original boiler. This project is funded by two separate Town Meeting appropriations and design of the abatement began this fall. Over the course of the fall and the winter, the Town and its environmental consulting firm have worked diligently with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to review the project, submit required submittals, and get the approvals necessary to commence work. The work under this contract will include the removal of two underground storage tanks (USTs) and the removal of asbestos containing materials which is widespread throughout the building, as well as limited lead remediation.

The first step in the project started this week with the removal of the underground storage tanks. Those tanks are being removed and the site is being abated by the Town's contractor, CommTank which is an industry leader in this type of work. The work in this phase is expected to last through the week.

Starting next week, the Town's abatement contract Green Environmental will begin the interior abatement. That work is expected to last roughly one-month. During this time, access to the site will be restricted due to the presence of hazardous materials. Residents can expect to see heavy equipment and dumpsters coming and going from the site.

Simultaneously, the Town is navigating the design process for the partial demo and exterior restoration that was approved by Town Meeting in May with a $1.5M appropriation. We expect the schematic design phase to wrap up this spring and will provide additional updates as we move along.