The 4.2-acre Site is located at 70 Elmvale Place,
in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts and is further defined by the Pittsfield Assessor’s
Office as Property ID G120002002 and by the Berkshire Middle District Registry
of Deeds in a deed in Book 5721, Page 339. The northeastern portion of the
Site is bifurcated by a narrow public road, Elmvale Place and the Site is bordered
to the west northwest by a factory outlet; to the northeast by Dower Square
public housing; to the southeast by residential properties and a warehouse; and
to the west by Pittsfield Cemetery. Onota Brook passes through the Site and
feeds into the West Branch of the Housatonic River and potential and certified
vernal pools are within a half mile of the Site.
J.B. Paper Company was a wholesale distributor
of paper products, sundries, cleaning supplies, toys, toiletries, etc. and operated at this location from 1967 to 2009. On the evening of August 29, 2016, a large fire engulfed the vacant former mill building.
On December 23, 2021, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) referred this Site to EPA. The Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation conducted by EPA in March 2022 and June 2022 indicated the presence of asbestos containing materials in the debris pile as well as debris with the confirmed presence of lead and arsenic above the Residential and Industrial Removal Management Levels.
Site Updates
March 20, 2023: EPA and its contractors remobilized to the site on Monday, March 20th to commence T&D activities. Removal activities on site are expected to be complete in 4-5 weeks, pending any delays outside of EPAs control.
February 28, 2023: EPA temporarily secured the Site on December 21, 2022 due to the winter season. The following work has been accomplished:
- The stack that was present on-site at the start of the removal action was taken down on November 3, 2022
- Building debris from within the debris pile has been segregated and is awaiting final transportation and disposal (T&D)
EPA plans to be back on-site in winter/early spring 2023 to commence T&D activities. Removal activities on site are anticipated to be completed during spring 2023, pending any delays outside of EPAs control.
