Jaffrey has accepted more than $2 million in a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant to clean up the former W.W. Cross site on Webster Street, after the Select Board voted to do so Tuesday night.

The board also held a public hearing Tuesday on the analysis of cleanup alternatives for the site. Weston & Sampson engineer Todd Bridgeo, who prepared an analysis of the cleanup alternatives for the site, explained that the major response to determine the potential hazards on the site has already been completed. The main issue now is the building, which is increasingly falling into disrepair, and what may be in the ground underneath the building, which hasn’t been determined due to how unstable the building is.

Hazards the town has already identified include soil and groundwater contaminations, asbestos materials, lead paint, polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs and above-ground storage tanks and transformers.

There are three potential alternatives that were considered for the W.W. Cross site, with the current recommendation being to demolish the building to its foundation and completely abate any hazardous building materials. The EPA requires that at least three alternatives be proposed, including taking no action, renovation of the existing property and demolition of the existing property.

Full demolition is estimated to cost between $950,000 and $1.3 million, and would allow materials from the demolition to be removed from the site in bulk, reducing the amount of truck traffic carting away materials.

The renovation option would include selective demolition only on non-structural building finishes, accessory site structures and removal of transformers and out-of-service storage tanks. It is considered technically feasible, but more expensive, and would require a higher impact for a longer period of time to the surrounding neighborhood. The cost for renovation is estimated to be between $1.9 million and $2.7 million, mainly driven by structural repairs and maintaining the building.

Taking no action would leave the building as it is, which conserves costs, but leaves the derelict building, which is a safety concern for the town after a large portion was damaged by fire in 2020. Doing nothing would also not remove the known hazardous materials located within the buildings, nor allow for soil remediation under the current structure.

Whether the town chooses a renovation option or complete removal, there will be site work controls, including dust control and erosion controls, put into place. Demolition could begin as soon as March of 2025.

Selectman Andy Lawn said his preference would be either for demolition to be complete before April and the start of Little League season, or that work conclude in the early afternoon during the season, as there is a baseball field across the street and the front parking lot of W.W. Cross is often used for games and practices for overflow parking.

Public comments for the first phase of the Brownfields Cleanup Alternative are open until Dec. 6 at noon. Comments should be directed to Jo Anne Carr at jacarr@townofjaffrey.com.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.