Former gas station cleanup still an issue

East Lyme — The town met last week with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state Department of Economic and Community Development, but is still waiting to determine the best course of action to clean up the former Mobil gas station property on Main Street and how much it will cost, said First Selectman Mark Nickerson.

An item to vote on re-allocating some of the project funds toward the development of a park at the site will not be taken up at Wednesday’s town meeting, but may come to a town meeting within a couple of months, he said. He said there will be a clearer picture of the situation in the coming weeks.

The town purchased last year the 0.3-acre property at 224 Main St. for $550,000, after town voters at a 2010 referendum had approved $675,000 to buy the property and $65,000 for engineering studies and remediation of the site. The town also received a state grant for an assessment of the property.

Nickerson had said that with the reduced purchase price, if cleanup costs end up being less than expected, there could be some money left over for the development of a park.

At the town meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Town Hall, residents will vote on an item to set up an account, so the town can set aside money it charges companies for the use of police cruisers at road construction jobs — to purchase police vehicles and equipment in the future.