Avery Dennison Agrees To More Mary Dennison Park Testing

The Avery Dennison Corp has consented to conducting the next round of sample testing at Mary Dennison Park, said Framingham Town Manager Bob Halpin.

In September, the Town fenced and closed the park’s eastern playground, after consulting with MassDEP, when tests showed high levels of lead in the topsoil in that area.

Framingham Patch was the first media outlet to report on the closure of the playground at the park.

Since that time the Town of Framingham has completed additional soil sampling and testing and ground water sampling testing.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is requiring a broader range of tests and sampling for a broader range of compounds than what has been done to date by the Town of Framingham, explain Halpin to Framingham Selectmen this week.

“It is a positive sign that Avery has agreed to this testing,” said Halpin.

Avery Dennison also have agreed in concept to covering a portion of the cost of the work done to date by the Town, but the details are still being negotiated, said Halpin.

The results of their testing will not be available until mid January – perhaps at the same time that the Fuss and O’Neill report on testing conducted by the Town, said Halpin.

Halpin told Selectmen Tuesday night, he plans to convene a small group of community stakeholders together to update them on the testing and status of the work.

Last month, after significant discussions between the Avery Dennison Corporation, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Town of Framingham, the Avery Dennison Corp. agreed to begin additional testing at Mary Dennison Park. Tests were conducted on Dec. 18.

The approved sampling and testing program approved by MassDEP will include tests for a wide range of chemicals and compounds of concern reflecting the nature of material that exists in the former dump that exists under the park.

Avery Dennison merged with Dennison Manufacturing Company, who gave the Mary Dennison Park property to the Town between 1956 and 1964.

The property was used as a dump from the mid-1920s to the late 1940s or early 1950’s.

In early 2014, the Town notified the state and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) it discovered toxins in the soil of the playground, located off Beaver Street.

In March, the Town hired an environmental consultant to drill in 15 locations to get soil samples between 6 inches and 6 feet in the 17-acre park and uncovered high levels of lead and other metals.

The soil samples from the top 12 inches, except for one, had low levels of contaminates. Several of the deeper soil samples had higher levels of metals, lead and arsenic, but people using the park would not come into contact with them, said the consultant.