NORTHBOROUGH – As the town considers the next steps for the future of the White Cliffs mansion, the Select Board is weighing an evaluation to come up with the cost to remediate the building.
In May, the Select Board opted not to move forward with a developer’s proposal for the White Cliffs mansion, which would have constructed 52 units of affordable housing in the mansion and an adjacent building.
Since the board’s May meeting, town staff have discussed the need to understand what the town was looking at in terms of numbers when it comes to White Cliffs.
During the Select Board’s June 12 meeting, Facility Manager Shawn Thompson said, in order to move forward, issues like mold, lead paint and asbestos will need to be remediated.
A mold analysis has indicated that there’s heavy concentrations of mold on the first floor, “a little bit less” on the second and “O.K.” on the third, Thompson said. The town has placed dehumidifiers in the building and sectioned off the additions to control the airflow.
The town has reached out to and received a proposal from a licensed site professional who would conduct an evaluation and develop budget numbers if the town moved forward with the remediation. The evaluation has been estimated at about $11,000.
When the town had a mold analysis conducted last June, Thompson asked a representative from a nationwide mold remediation company what the town was looking at in terms of remediation. The representative estimated that it would cost between $1 to $2 million to remediate the mold, Thompson said.
Thompson cautioned that that was an off-the-cuff estimate and reiterated that it would be helpful to get the actual budget numbers.
“Because if we’re looking at the cost of what it cost to purchase the building just to remediate the mold, that puts us in a pretty scary situation,” he said.
According to Department of Public Works Director Scott Charpentier, the town previously had a licensed site professional conduct a phase one site assessment. There was “minor” testing done as there was evidence of lead paint on the exterior of White Cliffs along with tests on the soil and asbestos.
“There was not an inventory of quantities or any more extensive testing. Just, ‘Yes, it’s lead. Yes, there’s some paint in the soil.’ How far is it, how bad is it, how deep is it – that stuff was not obtained. Those are the types of things you need to have to get a hard estimate on cost,” Charpentier said.
Mold was not examined during this initial assessment, he said.
Thompson said he assumed the mold has progressed as there hasn’t been any climate control in the building for nearly a decade, and Charpentier said there were “a number” of years of water intrusion into the building with no mitigation.
No action was taken during the meeting.
Broader picture
The Select Board also discussed the next steps to determine the future of White Cliffs.
As Chair Mitch Cohen described it, the board has the impression that a project similar to the one to construct 52 units would not be supported at Town Meeting.
He noted that while this was the only proposal that came forward in response to a request for proposals that was deemed acceptable, there have been other ideas pitched for the property.
According to Cohen, Planning Director Laurie Connors has received references for people who can help the town receive public input.
“I think the idea of a facilitator coming in is a good idea,” said Interim Town Administrator Bob Reed.
Reed said it’s important to find areas that people can coalesce around.
“I think there may be as many opinions about White Cliffs as there people in Northborough,” said Reed. “It’s going to be critical to find that common ground.”
The numbers of what it will cost to remediate will be helpful to find that common ground and understand the scope of the situation.
Select Board member Julianne Hirsh said the town needs to learn if there’s a sentiment among residents to demolish White Cliffs.
“Let’s just say all of these remediations cost too much — what does that mean with our agreement with [the Community Preservation Committee]. Are we going to have to pay them back any money because we didn’t preserve the building?” she asked.
Member Laura Ziton said that her hope is that the town receives as much feedback from the town as possible.
“Because that’s going to be the real heart of how we make a decision,” Ziton said. “So, whatever the vehicle is that’s going to be the most efficient way to canvas as many people as possible, I would definitely be in favor of.”
The board tasked Reed and Connors to get quotes for a facilitator.
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