Hamilton holds public meeting on abandoned Nearpara Rubber Factory remediation
Hamilton Township is continuing its efforts to remediate the area surrounding the former Nearpara Rubber Company site with the help of grants from the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The company, which processed tires from the late 1920s up until its closure in 1990, has been left abandoned for over three decades. This has caused concerns regarding environmental health, including mosquito breeding areas and ground contamination. Consequently, Hamilton has been awarded over $250,000 from HDSRF to assess and investigate the property to determine the extent or the existence of any hazardous substance or hazardous waste.
To help with the cleanup effort, VHB, an environmental engineering consulting firm, was hired by Hamilton Township to provide an analysis of the cleanup of the long-abandoned Nearpara site. During an October 2021 public hearing, VHB offered its analysis on the extent of the cleanup required. Last year, the Township received a $500,000 grant from the EPA to further its remediation of the site. The project proposed by VHB includes addressing impacted soil, groundwater contamination, and hazardous waste, which 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 is invited to an upcoming meeting on Thursday, June 22, at 6 pm at the Bromley Neighborhood Civic Center located at 1801 East State Street in Hamilton to discuss the remediation and redevelopment plans. Dinner will be 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.
