A project to clean up the site of the former Wilton Tannery will be underway by mid-July and wrap up in September, project consultants said Tuesday night at public hearing.

Officials from Ransom Consulting, which is overseeing the project, told the public at a Town Office hearing that the project should create a minimal disruption to the surrounding area.

Nick Sabatine, vice president and senior geologist with Ransom Consulting, said contractor E.L. Vining & Son plans to work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the site rounding up and burying the scraps of leather and contaminates on the property.

The majority of the work will be contained to the lot, thought there will be some truck traffic entering and leaving the worksite.

Sabatine said because it is a hazardous site cleanup, all E.L. Vining & Son employees went through a mandatory OSHA training on handling the hazardous material.

The material will be buried underground in a sealed area with an orange covering labeled “Do not excavate” to prevent a future user from uncovering the contaminates.

Selectwoman Tiffany Maiuri asked if board members could visit the site and review the work without OSHA training.

Sabatine said contractors could arrange a site inspection on off hours when the hazardous material isn’t being moved around.

The majority of the cleanup of the U.S. Route 2 property is being paid for by a $200,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant. The town took possession of the property in 2010.

The project bid by E.L. Vining was for $196,367 and town officials are considering additionally using town money to partially or completely demolish the building on the site.

The lowest bid for the full demolition was a $89,700 bid by Cousineau, an East Wilton general contracting company. The lowest bid was for the partial demolition was a $38,000 bid by EnviroVantage, which has a branch in Westbrook.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252

kschroeder@centralmaine.com

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