Cent4dent Blog

Gloucester County Times
Monday, February 11, 2008
By Stephanie Brown
sbrown@sjnewsco.com

FRANKLIN TWP. Local and state officials say they support the state’s recommendation to demolish Kiddie Kollege as the best way to eliminate mercury contamination at the former day care.

But almost in the same breath they say there are still questions that remain unanswered and maintain that those who attended the mercury-laden day care deserve to have their health continually monitored. The state Department of Environmental Protection released a long-awaited report on Feb. 1 that summarized the results of a year-long investigation into the extent of contamination at the former Accutherm, Inc. site.

The report revealed airborne mercury concentrations greatly exceeded the state’s acceptable standards.

As a result, the state concluded that the building could not be occupied for any purpose in its current state.

The DEP’s report listed two ways to clean up the site: Demolition and removal of the building in its entirety, including the septic tank; or “decontaminate” the building for reoccupation.

The DEP recommended demolition as the “most reliable, permanent and cost-effective way to eliminate the threat of exposure at the site,” according to the report.
The “polluters,” which have been identified by the DEP as Accutherm and the property’s owner, Jim Sullivan, would be responsible for paying for the cleanup, estimated at about $550,000.

A public meeting on the matter is set for Wednesday, 7 p.m., at the Franklin Township Municipal Building.

State Sen. Fred Madden, D-Washington Township, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Washington Township, and Assemblywoman Sandra Love, D-Gloucester Township, all said they believe the DEP’s recommendation is the best decision for Franklin Township residents.

“The DEP feels that this is the most permanent way to eliminate any threat of exposure of existing mercury to citizens and we will support their recommendation to demolish the site,” the trio of legislators said in a joint statement.
Franklin Mayor Frank Scavelli agreed, but added that he didn’t think the demolition of the building would offer much closure to the families affected by Kiddie Kollege.

“One of the biggest things that I have always advocated for and hope the parents and children will end up getting is long-term preventative and preemptive care,” Scavelli said. “That really has nothing to do with the demolition of the building, but I see that as important to get beyond it.”

Parents themselves have been calling for the state to continue to monitor their children’s health.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services said there is no need to do so. The department tested children and staff for several months, but discontinued it after medical tests taken early last year showed mercury levels had receded to “background level.”

Still, Madden, Moriarty, and Love said they will continue to advocate on behalf of the residents to convince the DHSS that ongoing monitoring is “essential.”
While the DEP’s report revealed the extent of contamination at the site, it is still unknown who is responsible for allowing the day care to open on tainted ground.

The state launched a criminal probe into the matter August 2006, but the investigation, being conducted by the Attorney General’s Office, is ongoing.

District 4 legislators said the attorney’s general’s inquiry “has gone on far too long” and have scheduled a meeting with Attorney General Anne Milgram later this month to “seek answers to this ongoing matter.”

In the meantime, legislators have worked on preventing future incidents, introducing a bill to require the Department of Health and Senior Services to develop testing procedures for new day cares and to set maximum allowable contamination levels for infants and children.

On a local level, the issue has prompted the Franklin Township government to be more attentive to environmental matters. For example, Scavelli said the township hired an environmental consultant and created a new position in the Office of Emergency Management to further keep an eye on contaminated sites.

“You have to make sure the proper things are in place within your own local government, to have checks and balances in place, that ensure this kind of thing doesn’t happen to its residents not depend on outside agencies or other levels of your government to protect your residents,” Scavelli said. “Unfortunately that’s what happened to Franklin Township.”

See my earlier post, after meeting with the parents of these children: click here