By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Northborough – The town’s purchase of White Cliffs was due to happen by the end of September but has been delayed until at least mid-October, due the discovery of an underground oil tank on the property.
Town Administer John Coderre, in a report to the Board of Selectmen at the board’s Sept. 27 meeting, said the current owners of the property, the LaCava family, have agreed to pay all costs associated with removing the tank and cleaning up the spill from that tank.
The 8,000 gallon tank was discovered during an environmental test on the property, Coderre said.
“There was a release of oil from it, but not a large quantity,” he said.
The removal and cleanup will be facilitated by a professional remediation company. The town will have observers there during at least part of that process to monitor the situation, Coderre added.
In addition, the owners have agreed to retrieve certain historical fixtures that had been sent to an auction house and to store them in a secure location until the town’s purchase of the property goes through.
The selectmen voted to approve an amendment to the purchase and sale regarding the two issues.
Town Meeting voters approved a measure April 26 to spend $2.4 million in Community Preservation funds to purchase and permanently preserve the iconic mansion property.
