Soil Contamination At Former Site
In January 2001, the school remained closed for nearly two weeks after the end of the winter vacation when the DEP found high concentrations of lead, carcinogens and other toxins in the soil surrounding the building, as well as at the sports field across the street. It was soon revealed that the building had been constructed on the site of a previous toxic waste disposal ground in the 1950s. This was followed by claims that the school had seen unusually high rate of death among faculty members in their 50s due to cancer.
Crews took action to make the building as safe an environment as possible as classes commenced. However, residents voiced concern led to plans for the construction of a new building on a Dixwell Avenue site. The project began in September 2004 and the new Hamden Middle School was completed in time for the start of the 2006 school-year.
Read more about this topic: Hamden Middle School
Famous quotes containing the words soil and/or site:
“Let him
Who was love’s teacher teach you too love’s cure;
Let the same hand that wounded bring the balm.
Healing and poisonous herbs the same soil bears,
And rose and nettle oft grow side by side.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
“It’s given new meaning to me of the scientific term black hole.”
—Don Logan, U.S. businessman, president and chief executive of Time Inc. His response when asked how much his company had spent in the last year to develop Pathfinder, Time Inc.’S site on the World Wide Web. Quoted in New York Times, p. D7 (November 13, 1995)