June 16, 2023
HAMILTON, NJ (MERCER) — Residents are invited to attend a public meeting on Thursday, June 22, at 6 pm to learn about the plans for cleaning up and redeveloping the former Nearpara Rubber Company site.
The Nearpara Rubber Company opened in the late 1920s at 1948 East State Street, where they processed tires from across the region until they closed in 1990. The site has been abandoned for over three decades and has raised concerns regarding environmental health, including mosquito breeding areas and ground contamination.
In 2021, Hamilton Township was awarded over $250,000 from the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) to assess and investigate the property to determine the extent or the existence of any hazardous substance or hazardous waste.
During an October 2021 public hearing, VHB, an environmental engineering consulting firm hired by Hamilton Township, provided an analysis of the cleanup of the long-abandoned Nearpara site. Last year, the Township received a $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further its remediation of the site.
Nearpara is currently covered with debris, empty drums and underground storage tanks, waste rubber, and stockpiled tires, but with funding from EPA and other sources, VHB will work to clean it up and bring the property back to the Township’s tax rolls. “VHB is excited to be a part of the Former Nearpara Rubber Co. brownfield cleanup project, which is being funded by state and federal grants to Hamilton Township,” said Laura Brinkerhoff, Principal of VHB. “The cleanup addresses impacted soil, groundwater contamination, and hazardous waste and will result in redevelopment that benefits the surrounding community on many levels.” Isles, a local community development and environmental organization, has partnered with the Township and VHB to organize community engagement regarding the site.
“I want to thank Hamilton’s Town Council, Community & Economic Development team, in partnership with Isles and VHB, for tackling a project that was decades in the making by addressing this eyesore,” said Mayor Jeff Martin. “For far too long, it sat dormant and has been both an environmental and public health hazard for those in the Bromley area. We will continue to work with our partners to finally get it cleaned up!”
The public meeting to discuss the remediation and redevelopment plans will be held on Thursday, June 22, at 6:00 pm at the Bromley Neighborhood Civic Center located at 1801 East State Street in Hamilton, with dinner provided.
Interested participants are requested to RSVP for the meeting here. For more information, please contact the Hamilton Township Division of Planning at (609) 890-3674 or visit www.HamiltonNJ.com/Planning.
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