3 Fairfield School Sites Contaminated, Tests Reveal

FAIRFIELD, CT — Three school properties in Fairfield have tested positive for contaminants, the town announced Saturday. The sites are among 20 high-priority locations being tested for contamination in connection with an investigation of illegal dumping at the town public works yard and the contractor hired to run the facility.

The amount of arsenic found at the Jennings Elementary School soccer field and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found at the Mill Hill Elementary School playground walkway and Riverfield Elementary School baseball fields and playground exceed residential standards, according to the town. State officials said the levels of contamination will not cause any health effects, according to a news release from the town. The sites will be remediated and access will be restricted in the interim, the news release said.

Test results for locations at Burr, Dwight, McKinley and North Stratfield elementary schools and Fairfield Woods Middle School revealed no elevated levels, according to the news release. Results for the Holland Hill Elementary School soccer fields are still pending, First Selectman Mike Tetreau said. All school sites identified for priority testing by the town were closed and, as a precaution, Fairfield Public Schools closed every field in the district for testing.

"We are relieved that the fields and other areas tested at the five schools are safe, and we will be working with the Board of Education to get them reopened as soon as possible," Tetreau said in the news release. "Where we did see evidence of contaminated soil at the other school sites, the levels are relatively low and confined to a limited area, which should enable us to complete the remediation as quickly as possible."

The tests were conducted earlier in the week, and were ordered after suspected asbestos shingles were reported at Gould Manor Park. Test results confirmed the presence of asbestos, as well as elevated levels of arsenic and lead, after the park was evaluated at the request of law enforcement due to concerns that contaminated fill from the public works yard was used for a 2013-14 sidewalk project.

All the priority testing sites received material from the public works yard between 2013 and 2016, when Julian Development was operating the facility. Additional locations will be identified for testing as the town continues to review public works records.

Also Saturday, the school district announced it would begin Monday testing school sites that were not identified as high priorities by the town. High school fields will be tested first, then middle and elementary school sites will be evaluated, Superintendent Mike Cummings said in an email to parents. The district hopes to have the results before the coming weekend.

Fairfield hired Julian Development to run its public works yard and reduce the size of a pile of leftover project material on the property from 40,000 cubic yards. Over the course of Julian's three-year contract, the pile more than doubled in size, and days before the contract was set to end, contamination was discovered on the property. After conservation officials said the transportation and dumping of contaminated material could have violated state or federal law, police opened an investigation.

Director of Public Works Joe Michelangelo, former superintendent of public works Scott Bartlett and Julian Companies Owner Jason Julian were arrested earlier this month and are accused of crimes including larceny, forgery and dumping. The majority of the crimes are alleged to have occurred during the years Julian Development was under contract to operate the yard on Richard White Way. Bartlett was recently fired from his town job and Michelangelo was placed on leave.

In addition to the criminal case, Fairfield has sued Julian for millions in damages and Julian has sued the town for defamation.

For more information about the town's testing process, visit www.fairfieldct.org/filluseissues. For updates on school district field tests, go to fpsct.net/fields.