Are There Pesticides at Palmer Pointe?

One aspect of the proposed development at Palmer Pointe that has not been widely discussed is the potential for the former agricultural business to have used, and subsequently contaminated soil on the property with, agricultural chemicals, such as insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc. 

When commercial agricultural properties are considered for residential development, it is customary for the prospective purchaser to conduct due diligence investigations in the form of soil and groundwater testing, as well as conduct a full inventory of the pesticides that have been used at the property.  This is particularly important when the site has been used for agricultural purposes for some time; e.g., during times when now-banned pesticides were legal. To date, I have not seen or heard anything about such investigations. The Barrington Conservation Commission did provide comments to the Planning Board on this issue, but have not heard back on their response to those comments. 

If I were the Town, I would strongly recommend - no, I would require - that the East Bay Community Development Corporation perform Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments on the property prior to any Town approval to test for the presence of a wide range of pesticides and make the results of the testing available to the public. It is the public's right to know if the Town is approving a development that could be detrimental to future occupants' health.