On Tuesday night, the Woodstock Selectboard approved proposals to remove contaminated soil and install a new gas tank behind the Little Theater. The cost of these projects, about $10,600, will be deducted from the $200,000 bond amount that Woodstock Town Meeting voters approved in March for restoring the historic Little Theater, which was badly damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
According to Woodstock Municipal Manager Phil Swanson, the Town has just over $5,000 available to clean up a hazardous waste site from an old oil tank, that was once buried just outside of the Little Theater, near the back of the building. The Town previously had the tank removed, Swanson explained, but some contamination remained in the soil.
Bridgewater-based firm Harper Environmental, in the next few weeks, will remove the contamination. When that project is done, a new hole will be dug for a new oil tank.
Swanson said the full cost of this work will come out of the bond approved by Town voters in March. He added, “You can’t have heat without an oil tank.”
The site clean-up work will cost the Town $5,404, and the new tank installation will cost $5,250.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 