It will cost $45,000 to develop a community brownfield action plan on a municipal property that has been the subject of social media controversy.
The move should pave the way for the sale and development of the former location of Burr Motors, 271 Bridge Street.
“That’s a prime place,” said CAO Cheryl Martens. “That’s a really prime place so we need to make sure it’s attractively positioned.”
Princeton council voted at its last meeting to proceed with Stage 1 and Stage 2 analysis of the property’s soil. Councillors also agreed to authorize staff to apply for a $20,000 provincial grant to help offset the cost of the project.
Martens said providing the soil tests will make the property more attractive to potential buyers, or could even result in the municipality shouldering the cost of decommissioning.
The property assessment was recommended by Gary Schatz, director of economic developmen. He stated in a report that the study will give “an assessment of what is required to make the land ready for potential development and [provide] a marketable asset for further development.”
The municipality acquired the property – a former garage, car lot and one-time gas station -in 2017, through tax sale. It was demolished in the fall.
Some time later a local property owner, Tom Guerster, made numerous posts on Facebook suggesting the town did not follow environmental law.
Guerster, and his wife Leona Guerster – who has stated she is a candidate for mayor in the upcoming municipal election - requested to make a delegation to council regarding these claims, that resulted in a terse exchange of letters which were included in the April 16 council package
Martens turned down that application for a delegation.
“You continue to make allegations and have not yet provided any documentation to support your accusations to this office or to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. In fact, you have blatantly accused the Town of Princeton of various falsities regarding this matter, including the use of social media such as Facebook,” her letter stated.
“You have had numerous conversations with Kelly Larsen, Senior Contamination Site Officer, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. Ms. Larsen has responded, verbally and in letters, confirming the Town of Princeton is compliant.”
Tom Guerster responded in writing, citing an email he received previously from former CAO Rick Zerr “which proves he lied as he told Kelli Larsen the tanks were removed in the 1990s. Truth is there [were] three underground fuel tanks that were removed in 2017, as even your office [has] now admitted to…Ms. Larsen obviously accepted Mr. Zerr’s first lie so what is to say she is not being lied to again by the town office?”
The Spotlight also contacted Larsen and was told the demolition was compliant with legislation.
When the recommendation for the brownfield assessment was introduced on a recent agenda, Leona Guerster addressed council on the issue.
Guerster said she was pleased that the assessment was going ahead, and told council she had retained an environmental lawyer.
She said she would continue to seek documentation relating to the underground tanks, and to the disposal of sand that they would have contained.
In an interview with The Spotlight she said “from the very beginning I have considered this site a brownfield. It doesn’t necessarily mean it has actual contamination, it’s also a site that could be perceived to have contamination…I’m happy that it’s moving forward.”
Guerster still has “a concern that this was not handled properly in the beginning when I first started inquiring about this.”
The Guersters expressed interest in buying the property several years ago, she said.
“Five to ten years ago we had looked into purchasing the property when it went into foreclosure and it was a good price. It was told to us it was a brownfield. We just backed away…We have no interest in purchasing that property at all.”
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