The funding will help the school system rid Cherry Brook Primary School of dangerous chemicals and allow its playground to reopen.
Patch Staff
|Updated Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 2:56 pm ET
CANTON, CT — Canton officials are celebrating the recent inclusion of a $500,000 grant on the State Bond Commission docket to fund an environmental cleanup at Cherry Brook Primary School.
The State Bond Commission Oct. 22 is expected to approve a slate of funding for various projects, including $500,000 for the remediation of potentially hazardous chemicals at the school, located at 4 Barbourtown Road, Canton.
The school is being remediated of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), which is a potentially hazardous chemical found in many industrially-made items, but it is notable for being a component of firefighting foam as well.
Cherry Brook became contaminated because local firefighters, for decades, sprayed firefighting foam on the school's roof for decades during regular training exercises, according to Canton First Selectman Kevin Witkos.
In recent years, it has been revealed such foam also includes environmentally hazardous chemicals, called PFAs, which require remediation.
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The firefighting foam also ended up in the school's playground, which has been closed.
Canton officials and state leaders praised the news of the grant award, which came about following the work of legislative, state, and local leaders.
“This is wonderful news for Canton children and families,” said state Sen. Lisa Seminara, R-Avon, in a statement. “It was a top goal for me to successfully secure this funding and bring it back to Canton.
"We got it done by collaborating in a bipartisan fashion, and I thank Gov. Lamont for recognizing this project as a priority.”
“This state funding will go a long way for the residents of Canton, and I thank Sen. Seminara for her excellent work on behalf of our town,” Witkos said.
“The firefighter foam that was sprayed on the school’s field during training exercises decades ago has prevented children at the school from using it. With this significant amount of funds, we can now begin the process of cleaning up the site so that the kids can use their playground again.”
Added Seminara: “Protecting the children in our communities, helping our schools, cleaning our environment, and improving the quality of public education will continue to be my priorities at the State Capitol. We get the job done and deliver good news like this because we work together — closely and diligently — at the local and state levels.”