Somerville Waste Transfer Station to Be Demolished in August

The East Somerville transfer station operated by Waste Management should be gone by the end of this summer.

The transfer station, which collects waste and trash, operates at 10 Poplar St. in the Brickbottom neighborhood, just off McGrath Highway.

The city owns the property, and Waste Management's lease will end on June 30, according to Daniel DeMaina, a spokesperson for the city. He said Waste Management will have until July 15 to vacate the building, and demolition is projected to occur in August.

"That's the tentative plan," he said.

The mayor's office will allocate $500,000 for the demolition in its capital investments plan, according to DeMaina.

Getting rid of the transfer station is key to the city's long-term goal of revitalizing the Brickbotton area. These efforts include ultimately tearing down the McGrath Highway, building a Green Line station and encouraging commercial and residential development.

In the short term, the city is working with members of the Brickbottom neighborhood, which includes a large artist enclave, to come up with an interim plan for the site, according to Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, who spoke about the matter at a Tuesday Board of Aldermen meeting.

There are no definitive plans yet, but the site could be a place to host public events, DeMaina said, naming one possibility.

He said plans will solidify after demolition, because that process will allow the city to assess the condition of the property.

Crews will demolish the transfer station down to its slab, DeMaina said, referring to the building's hefty concrete foundation.

Due to the property's history—Alderman At-Large William White once recalled how it used to be an incinerator, and ashes would fall down on East Somerville like snow—there will likely be environmental remediation that needs to take place before long-term development can take place.

Maintaining the slab in the short term will allow the city to use the property; in the long term, any development at the site my need to contend with soil contamination and other issues.

The process of vacating the building has been delayed a few times. Waste Management's lease In February, Jaclyn Rossetti, another city spokesperson, said Waste Management was given some extra time but would vacate by June 30.

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City To Terminate Brickbottom Transfer Station Lease