Questions On Safety, Trust Focus Of Contamination Victims Meeting

FAIRFIELD, CT — Apprehension about safety and trust in Fairfield appeared to be front of mind among the residents who attended a meeting for victims of illegal dumping on the town public works yard.

The meeting was held Wednesday in a half-filled auditorium on the West Campus of Sacred Heart University and was led by Senior Assistant State's Attorney Tamberlyn Conopask, who is representing the state in the case. Conopask said at the beginning of the event that she was not there to discuss or answer specific questions about the investigation, but her statement did not prevent such questions from being asked.

The meeting followed an eventful summer in Fairfield. In August, former public works director Joe Michelangelo, former public works superintendent Scott Bartlett and Julian Companies owner Jason Julian — whose company oversaw the public works yard at the time the contamination was found — were arrested on charges including larceny, forgery and dumping.

Around the same time as the arrests, asbestos was reported at a local park, and not long after that, the town released a list of 20 priority contamination testing sites that received fill material from the public works yard when it was operated by Julian between 2013 and 2016. Of those sites, 10 have been confirmed to contain contaminants such as asbestos, arsenic, lead and PCBs.

"If we sound angry and frustrated, it's because we are," one audience member said Wednesday.

The first questions of the evening focused mainly on safety.

Fairfield resident Meghan Teed, who runs the Facebook group Fairfield Fights Toxic Waste, asked if the investigation would focus on whether the fill from the public works facility could be in residents' yards.

Conopask said she was unable to comment, but that the information would become public throughout the court process. Conopask also told residents that if they are concerned there's fill in their yard, they should contact investigators, urging the audience that even if they don't receive a response, their messages are not ignored.

"The information that you provide to us is being read and considered and followed up on," she said.

One man asked if investigators have considered that the town fill pile is located near Fairfield's school bus parking facility and asked if children could have been exposed to contaminants.

Conopask confirmed her office knew about the concerns, and reiterated that even if residents aren't hearing about issues being addressed, that does not mean their questions are being ignored.

Teed asked what can be done to ensure public works employees are protected from contamination.

"We're aware of their concerns and we're trying to address that," Conopask said, noting that employees who are affected may also be witnesses in the case.

In response to a question about whether the chief state's attorney's office is obligated to disclose information in the name of greater public safety, Conopask confirmed that if investigators find an imminent risk they will refer the information to the appropriate agencies.

"Our interest in public safety always comes first," she said.

Representative Town Meeting member Bill Gerber, D-District 2, asked Conopask to explain the objective of the investigation and address whether identifying where all the fill from the yard has been used is part of that objective.

While Conopask declined to offer specifics, she said similar environmental cases typically involve cleanup.

"That's a very big objective," she said.

Multiple people discussed Tighe & Bond, the consultant hired by the town to handle contamination testing and remediation for public sites. Teed referenced a connection between Tighe & Bond and Julian. Tighe & Bond Vice President Dana Huff serves on the Bridgeport Regional Business Council Economic Development Committee with Julian.

"I feel like it's totally biased," Teed said. "... There needs to be a secondary opinion."

Conopask said Tighe & Bond is a state certified licensed environmental professional, but that if Teed was concerned, she should contact the appropriate state regulatory agency.

Another person asked Conopask if there was a risk of town insurance coverage being affected by the case.

"I think it's a valid concern," Conopask said.

She also clarified that if the defendants are fined, that money will go to the state's general fund, but that there is a mechanism in place for restitution.

"It may be relevant," Conopask said.

When asked about the timeline for the prosecution, Conopask indicated the discovery process would take months, not years.

"Will these individuals see the inside of a jail cell?" one meeting attendee asked.

"I don't have a crystal ball," Conopask said. "... We are committed to pursuing this case and we will continue to do so."

Fairfield hired Julian in 2013 to operate the public works yard and reduce the size of a pile of unused project material by 40,000 cubic yards. But over the next three years, the pile more than doubled in size, and days before the agreement was set to end, PCBs and lead were 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 in 2017.

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