The Photech Site is located at 330 Cole Avenue (N42.7183 latitude, W73.1897 longitude) in a low density urban residential area approximately 1 mile northeast of the town center. According to 2000 census data, Williamstown has an approximate population of 8,424. Cole Avenue is a main thoroughfare for this part of town with a steady flow of traffic; it bridges the Hoosic River immediately north of the Site and then intersects with another heavily-traveled road. The Site is bordered to the northeast/east by the Hoosic River; the southwest by homes; and the northwest/north by Cole Avenue.
The approximately ten acre site has been occupied and unoccupied at various times since 1906 by a series of companies whose operations included textile and photographic film & paper manufacturing. The mill building complex consists of a three-story brick mill building built circa the 1860's and a four-story addition built circa 1944. The Site was abandoned in 1990 and has been vacant since that time.
In August 2003, town officials, in coordination with the Brownfields program, requested EPA Region 1 Emergency Planning & Response Branch assistance because the asbestos-containing material (ACM) containing center portion of the mill complex collapsed. On August 26, 2003, OSC Barry conducted a preliminary assessment of the Site that included a site tour, file review, and interviews with Town Officials and town contractors. Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP) officials also participated in the site tour. Based on site conditions, OSC Barry recommended a time critical removal action in a Closure Memo dated October 14, 2003.
See POLREP No. 1 for additional background information.
Since POLREP #3, the following activities have been conducted:
Week of 17 October:
- The ERRS contractor segregated masonry and non-masonry materials. The masonry was used to fill in the open mill complex basement to mitigate potential fall hazards. A minimum of six inches of clean fill material was placed over the compacted masonry material; and
- The ERRS contractor cut piping and cleared miscellaneous debris out of the wall openings in preparation for sealing with concrete blocks (these openings were created in the circa 1944 section of the mill complex that will remain standing when an unstable, shared wall was razed during demolition operations).
Week of 24 October:
- The ERRS contractor blocked wall openings, collected miscellaneous debris from the shoreline area, and re-established or replaced erosion control fencing.
Week of 31 October:
- As of 3 November all field removal activities were completed and all equipment, supplies, and personnel were demobilized from the Site.
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