VFFC has plan for contamination

VFFC has plan for contamination

By Katy Savage

The winter farmers market in Rutland is slated to return to the Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) this fall, as organizers work to remedy contamination issues. 

A partial corrective action plan for the contamination, estimated to cost $800,000, was submitted to the Agency of Natural Sources on June 20 and will likely be approved when the public comment period ends July 20.

“We’re excited to be at this stage of the process,” said VFFC Executive Director Heidi Lynch.

The food center was forced to close and the farmer’s market was forced to relocate last year after elevated levels of tetrachloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogen, was found in the soil beneath the Farmers’ Hall building, impacting indoor air quality. The contamination has also held up a $3 million expansion plan for the multi-building campus.

The corrective action plan mostly focuses on the Farmer’s Hall building. The remediation will involve removing contaminated concrete and installing a thick liner with new concrete to improve air quality. Asbestos-containing materials will also be removed.

“Provided there’s no additional feedback from the public, comments will be addressed and I’ll be able to approve that plan,” said Kimberly Caldwell, an environmental analyst at the Agency of Natural Sources.

The contamination was discovered in 2021 as part of an environmental assessment when the organization sought to expand the campus to include a commercial kitchen at the so-called blue building. The adjacent green building, which houses the farmers’ market, is the only building with indoor air quality issues at the site. 

“The priority is the green building,” Lynch said. 

Lynch said environmental cleanup of the blue building, which is exposed to soil contamination, will start simultaneously. The expansion could start as early as this fall depending on contractor availability.   

Elisabeth Kulas, a community development consultant that’s working with VFFC, said Rutland Regional Planning Commission contributed more than $150,000 to soil testing and engineering.  Kulas submitted an application for $800,000 for the Agency of Community Development brownfields program to pay for the contamination cleanup.

“We are hopeful it’s doable, but aggressive to have it open by the first of November,” Kulas said.

Additional testing and documentation will be required by the state after the cleanup is done. 

Kulas praised state leaders for their help in moving the project forward.

“Nobody was happy the building got shut down,” Kulas said. “They really have been on our team to get this moving as quickly as possible.”