Senator William H. Nickerson (R-Greenwich, New Canaan and Stamford) hosted a productive meeting in his office at the Capitol in Hartford today with the Department of Transportation to improve the DOT’s redesign of the salt shed-sand pile complex.  The complex is located between the Merritt Parkway, South Avenue (Route 124) and Gerdes Road.  Also attending the meeting were Judy Neville, First Selectman of New Canaan, Keith Simpson, a landscape architect working with the Town, and senior officials from the DOT.

       Nickerson issued the following statement:  “I am pleased to join with Judy Neville in reporting that the DOT has agreed to adopt the town’s goal for the project, which is to greatly improve the screening of the new salt shed and the sand pile by placing them behind retaining walls which, combined with appropriate landscaping, will make them much less visible.  In addition the DOT has improved the environmental program by agreeing that the remediation of most of the contaminated soil will be addressed by excavating and removing it rather than capping it as previously planned.  Some remaining soil with minor trace levels of contamination will be capped.  The project will require a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection and will have to meet the same standards a private owner would have to meet in conducting such a project.”

       “I am very pleased that the DOT has adopted these goals.  Now that this has happened the DOT agreed to put forward a revised plan and cost estimates to implement the agreement and we will meet again later this summer to discuss this.”