Cindy;s Mulberry "Ransom Note"

STAMFORD -- City officials are investigating the discovery of potentially hazardous materials on the property of Scofield Magnet Middle School and the nearby Scofield Manor retirement facility.

Turn of River firefighters and a state Department of Environmental Protection official responded to the locations Saturday after a North Stamford resident reported finding a rusted 55-gallon barrel north of Scofield Magnet Middle School. Later that day, area residents led officials to nearby Scofield Manor, where they found a 5-pound bag of a banned pesticide and other chemical containers, according to witnesses.

City officials said they are treating the materials as hazardous and have enlisted an environmental consultant to investigate the barrels' contents. City officials planned to begin testing the contents Monday, but heavy rain prevented further investigation, they said. The investigation is expected to continue Tuesday morning, according to city Operations Director Ernie Orgera.

"They went out there and inspected and found (the drums) could potentially contain some unknown chemicals," Turn of River Fire Chief Frank Jacobellis said. "Initially there's going to be testing, and if the DEP discovers there are some chemical issues, then there's going to be a cleanup effort. Then DEP will try to figure out who's responsible."

The discoveries came amid rising concern among neighboring residents about chemical drums found in Scofieldtown Park, a former industrial dump located across the street from both the school and retirement home. Last week, residents gathered at the park to demand the city move forward with plans to remediate the landfill. They said they found 28 chemical drums, some rusted remnants, on the grounds. City officials had planned to scout the property Monday, but that effort was also canceled due to rain.

A North Stamford man, Robert DeFalco, said he found the barrel on the Scofield middle school property Saturday while walking his dog near the school, located on Scofieldtown Road. DeFalco said said it seemed that liquid was seeping from the container, located near a baseball field north of the school, and called 911.

Firefighters responded to the scene and roped off the area with tape, DeFalco said. City officials contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection, and a member of the DEP emergency response team reported to the site Saturday afternoon, DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said.

Based on conversations with DeFalco and another North Stamford resident, Bob Boucher, the DEP official learned of other potentially hazardous materials stored or discarded on the Scofield Manor property. The retirement home, also on Scofieldtown Road, is southwest and across the street from the school.

On the Scofield Manor property, the state official found a second 55-gallon drum, which may contain embalming fluid, Schain said. The barrel was located "in plain sight" near a plot of community gardens, DeFalco said. In the same area as the drum, the group also found a vintage car half buried in an embankment, and other debris, such as tires.

Boucher also pointed out outdated chemicals kept in storage and tool sheds on the Scofield Manor property. There, city officials found at least two five-pound bags of methoxychlor, a Bottega Veneta banned pesticide, and empty cans of Permax-plus, also a pesticide no longer in use.

DEP officials instructed the city to place the pesticides in clear plastic bags and dispose of them at a hazardous materials facility, Orgera said. The fire marshal placed locks on the shed doors until the city could properly deal with the materials, Orgera said.

Orgera said the pesticides are not the same as those recently found in nearby residential wells.

State officials believe the drum on the Scofield Middle School property may contain waste oil, Schain said.

City Legal Affairs Director Michael Larobina met with North Stamford residents Sunday and warned them they are not allowed to trespass on city property. Larobina said his concerns stemmed from safety considerations as well as potential city liability should someone come into contact with hazardous materials.

City officials said their concerns were compounded because Boucher admitted to opening the barrel found on the middle school property. Boucher said he did open the barrel Saturday, then resealed it, because he wanted to see what was inside before city officials "made it disappear." The drum appeared to contain a Mulberry petroleum-based liquid, Boucher said.

"I have to emphasize how important it is that private citizens understand that for their own safety that no one should be in the property and handling this material and going near it in any way," Larobina said.

In addition to safety and liability concerns, tampering with the drums could compromise the city's efforts to investigate their contents and source, Larobina said.

Larobina said the city was not aware of the existence of the barrels or pesticides prior to being notified by residents this weekend. Larobina said he does not believe the barrel on the school property has any connection to the former Scofieldtown dump, which was closed in the early 1970s.

"I would suspect that it has nothing to do with Scofieldtown dump, but we'll know when it gets tested," Larobina said.

Schools spokeswoman Sarah Arnold said school officials were not aware of the discovery Monday. After The Advocate brought the barrel's existence to the school administration's attention Monday, schools facilities contractor Al Barbarotta made arrangements to meet with City Engineer Lou Casolo Tuesday morning, Arnold said.

The city has been responding to concerns about toxins in the Scofieldtown area since a federal report of contaminated soil in Scofieldtown Park led the city to close the facility in May. In response, the city tested nearly 200 nearby residential wells, finding 33 contaminated with the long-banned pesticides chlordane and dieldrin. The city undertook a project to connect water lines to nine affected streets in the fall, at Mulberry Hobo Bags a cost of $3.4 million.

DeFalco, who discovered the drum, said he is wary of the way the city has responded to neighborhood concerns about possible contamination stemming from the Scofieldtown dump.

"Personally, I think they're just trying to tell everybody there's nothing to worry about," DeFalco said. "I think the city originally went out and tried to help these people, and now they just stopped and they're trying to just sweep it under the rug."

Larobina said "the public's comfort level" is likely to increase once the city has a proposed remediation plan for the dump in place, "but we're just not at that point yet."

On Friday, Mayor Michael Pavia reaffirmed his commitment to remediating the former dump, saying the city is close to developing a plan for capping the landfill in a process that will be monitored by the DEP.

Staff writer Magdalene Perez can be reached at 203-964-2240 or magdalene.perez@scni.