Fairfield School Fields Where Contaminants Found To Reopen

FAIRFIELD, CT — Two Fairfield elementary school sites where contaminants were found in August are reopening. The Jennings Elementary School soccer field and the Riverfield Elementary School baseball and soccer fields will be accessible during recess Wednesday, Superintendent Mike Cummings said Tuesday in an email to parents.

The sites are among 20 high-priority testing locations that were named last month in connection with an investigation of illegal dumping at the town public works yard and the company hired to run the facility. Arsenic found at the Jennings field and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found at the Riverfield fields and playground exceeded residential standards, according to the town. State officials said the levels of contamination will not cause any health effects.

"There remain areas at both schools where remediation will occur," Cummings said in the email. "Those areas are not on the fields that are now opened. The specific sites of concern will remain cordoned off and covered until remediation is completed."

The Mill Hill Elementary School playground walkway also had elevated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Ten contaminated locations have been confirmed so far in Fairfield. The town is working with a consultant and state officials to remediate the sites.

All the locations on the priority list received material from the public works yard between 2013 and 2016, when Julian Development was operating the facility. Since the list was released, school officials have decided to close and test all fields and playscapes in the district. The school system's testing of sites not on the town priority list began last week, and results are expected to come in this week and next week.

"The playscapes at Jennings and Riverfield remain closed until testing results are back," Cummings said in the email.

Fairfield hired Julian Development in 2013 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 last 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 updates on school district testing, go to fpsct.net/fields. For more information about the town test results, visit www.fairfieldct.org/filluseissues.