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THE CITY OF NASHUA sre Cate Cite

The Office of Economic Development

TO: Board of Aldermen

FROM: Tim Cummings, Director of Economic Development

CC:

DATE: February 24, 2021

RE: Status Update on Performing Arts Center Project 02-24-21

I am writing in an effort to provide an update on the Performing Art Center Project located at
201 Main Street. This briefing will be relatively short in nature, but nonetheless I wanted to
make sure this body was aware of the activity occurring on this project. As always, I would be
happy to come before the full body or the appropriate subcommittee to provide an in person

update if necessary or of interest.

First, a notice to proceed to construction was issued on December 18, 2020. This allowed for
Harvey to officially mobilize and transition from a pre-construction phase of their services to the

actual construction management services they provide.

Second, January through March a lot of preparation work will be or is happening. This includes
the following:

- Moving of utility poles on East/West Pearl Street

- Moving some underground and above ground city infrastructure on West Pearl Street.

- Developing a logistics plan with the City to ensure there is a safe construction

zone/environment for all.

- There is an upcoming abutters meeting scheduled for early March.

- Internal demolition and some decommissioning of certain systems and equipment

- Reinforcement of the exterior basement foundation wall and excavation of the basement

floor. (please see the enclosed pictures)

229 Main Street, Suite 234 * Nashua, New Hampshire 03060 « Phone (603) 589-3106

Third, we will coordinate with the various utility companies to keep the outside work on track and
hopefully bring this aspect of the project to fruition by April. Our goal is start major demolition in April,
which is when you will see the “newer” portion of 201 Main Street, 1.c. the 1960s/1970s era building

come down and be demolished. This task will take approximately one month.

Finally, West Pearl Street will at some point over the next 4 to 6 weeks go down to one (1) lane of traffic
and at times maybe shut completely for sporadic deliveries. The sidewalk along Main Street may be
turned off at certain points (and for long periods of time) due to unsafe conditions for a pedestrian(s) to be
in a close vicinity of the construction (this will be particularly true during the exterior demolition phase of

the project).

In conclusion, should you or your constituents care to discuss this topic in greater detail please do not

hesitate to reach out to me at your earliest convenience.

Thank You.

4529) THE CITY OF NASHUA “The Cate City”

The Office of Economic Development- Parking Department

TO: Board of Aldermen

FROM: Tim Cummings, Director of Economic Development
CC:

DATE: Mach 1, 2021

RE: General Status Update on Mohawk Tannery

I am writing in an effort to provide an update on the Mohawk Tannery site. Enclosed you’ll find
a background memo, which outlines the general purpose, rational, history and current status of

the site.

By no means is this memo trying to capture all the various gyrations that have occurred over the

decades relative to this site, but rather provide a current status update.

On Friday, February 12th, EPA announced an agreement with, Blaylock Holdings, LLC,
(“Blaylock”) that will potentially allow for the successful remediation and beneficial reuse of the
Granite State Leathers Superfund Site, also known as Mohawk Tannery. The EPA is
encouraging public input on the agreement during the public comment period, which began on
February 12, 2021 and will conclude on March 13, 2021. There is a project website with
updated documents including the agreement, press release(s), and Federal Register Notice of the

Agreement. You can find the information at www.epa.gov/superfund/mohawk.

Essentially, this means there is a potential pathway forward for cleaning up the site. By the EPA
entering into a unique public-private-partnership with Baylock they are providing some, but not
all the financial assistance necessary for the environmental remediation to occur. Baylock has
asked that the City of Nashua be willing to enter into Tax Increment Financing (“TIF”)
agreement to help provide an additional source of funds to bring the project to fruition. To date, I
have represented that the City of Nashua is open to creating and entering into a project specific

TIF, but there are a lot of details and negations still needing to occur and we have certainly not

229 Main Street, Suite 234 * Nashua, New Hampshire 03060 « Phone (603) 589-3106

gotten very far on this front. It is my understanding, the EPA is providing a substantial amount

of financial assistance, but not 100% of the project cost and there is a gap needing to be filled.

In conclusion, we will be continuing to discuss the idea and concept with Baylock and there are
certainly alot more details that need to be understood and worked out, but I wanted to provide
you with an update as this is an environmentally sensitive land area that abuts a residential

neighborhood that Iam sure will have a keen interest in this matter.

Should you or your constituents care to discuss this topic in greater detail please do not hesitate

to reach out to me at your earliest convenience.

Thank You.

Cleaning Up New England

SITE UPDATE

Mohawk Tannery Site

Nashua, NH

to productive use.

THE SUPERFUND PROGRAM™ protects human health
and the environment by investigating and cleaning up often-abandoned
\ hazardouswastesites andengagingcommunitiesthroughoutthe process.
Many of these sites are complex and need long-term cleanup actions.
Those responsible for contamination are held liable for cleanup costs.
EPA strives to return previously contaminated land and groundwater

SITE HISTORY:

The former Mohawk Tannery, also known as Granite State Leathers, produced tanned hides for
leather between 1924 and 1984. The Site consists of two contiguous parcels of approximately
15 acres each. The northern parcel housed the tannery and waste disposal operations, while the
southern parcel remained undeveloped. The tannery produced sludge and acidic residues, much of
which was disposed in two lagoons and to a lesser extent, at other areas on the Site. One of the two
lagoonsremain open; thislagoonandthe other disposal areas couldresultinadverse effects to humans
and the ecosystem, including the adjacent Nashua River. The Chester Realty Trust is the current
owner and both parcels are under a purchase and sale agreement with a local private developer,

For approximately 60 years, the former Mohawk Tannery disposed of tannery process waste in
the lagoons. The tannery also disposed of residues in a series of pits and drainage basins in and
around the tannery buildings that existed at the time. The sludge and the soils in all of these areas
are contaminated with heavy metals, dioxin, and semi-volatile organic compounds. Additionally,
EPA has determined that some of the areas discussed above and areas at the Site's southern
parcel hold asbestos containing material (ACM) on the surface and within the subsurface soil.
These contaminants are presently exposed in the open lagoon and surficial soils in various
locations at the Site. Most of the waste lies in the northern parcel in the former lagoons adjacent
to the Nashua River.

The Site was proposed to the EPA National Priorities List (NPL) in 2000 but was never listed.
Although the Site is fenced, its security has been compromised; squatters/trespassers have been
observed throughout the years,

SITE UPDATE

EPA reached an agreement with a local developer, Blaylock Holdings, LLC, ("Blaylock") that will
ensure the successful remediation and beneficial reuse of the Mohawk Tannery Site in Nashua,
N.H., also known as the Mohawk Tannery. EPA encourages public input on the agreement during
the public comment period, which will begin on February 12, 2021 and conclude on March 13,

continued >>

KEY CONTACTS:

MATT AUDET
U.S. EPA Project Manager
617-918-1449

audet.matthew@epa.gov

KELSEY DUMVILLE
U.S. EPA Community
Involvement Coordinator
617-918-1003

dumville. kelsey@epa gov

GENERAL INFO:
TOLL-FREE
CUSTOMER SERVICE
1-888-EPA-7341

LEARN MORE AT:
www.epa.gov/superfund/

mohawk

fa United States
Oey, Environmental Protection
WwW Agency

February 2021

Under the agreement, Blaylock will perform the cleanup selected for this Site. This agreement is unique in that the cleanup costs
are being shared with the developer, who will be reimbursed by EPA for part of the project cost. The agreement was developed in
coordination with the City of Nashua and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The cleanup work addresses
hazardous substances in soils, sludges, and contaminated waste in order to eliminate the threat posed to human health and the
environment. Overall, the total cleanup is estimated to cost $14 million, but EPA will reimburse Blaylock for $6 million of its costs.
Thus, this cost sharing arrangement will save the taxpayer an estimated $8 million in project costs, as compared to EPA performing
the entire cleanup.

An initial cleanup plan for the site was signed in 2019 after a comment period. In December 2020, EPA finalized an addendum to
include the adjacent Fimbel Landfill as part of the overall cleanup plan.

Cleanup work at the site will include excavation of hazardous tannery waste, landfill material and asbestos containing material,
disposal of waste in a newly constructed waste containment cell, and general property restoration. The containment cell will utilize
the most advanced materials and technology, including an impermeable cap and vertical barrier designed to meet EPA requirements
under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), and the overall cleanup plan.

The cleanup work is expected to take approximately 18 months. Work will include:

* construction of waste containment unit (WCU);
® excavation of contaminated waste and soils;

* consolidation of waste/soils into WCU;

* long-term operation and maintenance of WCU.

The EPA will continue to work closely with state and local officials as the project progresses. EPA plans to hold a virtual public
informational meeting after the comment period has closed and before any work begins at the Site.

Once the cleanup is complete, Blaylock plans to redevelop the area into mixed-use commercial space and residential units. This will
help provide significant economic opportunity, much-needed residential housing and bring an otherwise abandoned property back
into productive use.

For site details, including how to comment on the Action Memo Addendum or the agreement, please visit EPA’s Mohawk Tannery
website at www.epa.gov /superfund/mohawk

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT

Mohawk Tannery Site, CERCLA Docket No. 01-2020-0063.

General Purpose

Under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA, commonly referred to as Superfund),! the Agency’s mission is to protect human
health and the environment from the actual or potential risks posed by exposure to contaminated
or potentially contaminated land and other media. A Superfund cleanup can help return lands to
productive reuse.

Property Status

Information on sites that are, or potentially are, contaminated with hazardous substances and
may warrant action under Superfund, including site-specific documents and fact sheets, is
recorded in the EPA’s Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS), which may be
accessed at https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/srchsites.cfm. SEMS includes a public
access database that contains information about sites where there has been EPA regional office
involvement under Superfund.

The Property is located near the Mohawk Tannery Site (“Site”). This Site is located in SEMS,
and has been proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL). Additional information about the
Site may be found at: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0101188.

History and Status of the Site
For the reasons stated below, we are addressing the Site under Superfund authority.

As mentioned above, SEMS provides information for NPL sites (1.e., sites proposed to the NPL,
currently on the final NPL, or deleted from the final NPL), sites subject to a federal removal
action, and sites with a Superfund Alternative Approach agreement.”

The profile includes information such as the status of cleanup efforts and cleanup milestones that
have been reached. For more information about the Site, please visit SEMS at
https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/srchsites.cfm.

EPA issued an Action Memorandum in September 2019 for the Site cleanup. The Action
Memorandum was clarified by the technical memorandum of April 2, 2020 concerning the Site.
An addendum to the Action Memorandum was then issued on December 21, 2020. Hazardous

142 U.S.C. §§ 9601, ef seg.
* See Transmittal of Updated Superfund Response and Settlement Approval for Sites Using the Superfund
Alternative Approval (SAA Guidance) (Sept. 28, 2019), https://www.epa. gov/enforcement/transmittal-memo-

updated-superfund-response-and-settlement-approach-sites-using.