road_less_trvled
What to Do?
The Calculus of Cleanup
What seems like simple neglect, though, is actually a complex calculation of dollars and cents. Any proposed deal must take two estimates into account: the value of the land and the cost of cleaning it up. After a century of use, the property has plenty of environmental quirks to sort out, including asbestos-covered pipes, old landfills that hold who-knows-what, lead-based paint and hydraulic fluid steeping in elevator pits. In past negotiations, the town has offered to take charge of the cleanup if the price of the land were adjusted accordingly. Ms. Wilson estimates that, all told, the cleanup could cost as much as $10 million. Treasury officials say the figure is outlandish.
''The town has grossly overestimated the cost of cleaning up the site and the danger that the site presents,'' said John McCormac, the state's treasurer, ''although we realize there is work to be done.''
What to Do?
The Calculus of Cleanup
What seems like simple neglect, though, is actually a complex calculation of dollars and cents. Any proposed deal must take two estimates into account: the value of the land and the cost of cleaning it up. After a century of use, the property has plenty of environmental quirks to sort out, including asbestos-covered pipes, old landfills that hold who-knows-what, lead-based paint and hydraulic fluid steeping in elevator pits. In past negotiations, the town has offered to take charge of the cleanup if the price of the land were adjusted accordingly. Ms. Wilson estimates that, all told, the cleanup could cost as much as $10 million. Treasury officials say the figure is outlandish.
''The town has grossly overestimated the cost of cleaning up the site and the danger that the site presents,'' said John McCormac, the state's treasurer, ''although we realize there is work to be done.''