By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — A resident brought up concerns about the contamination of water sources from the Town of Naples sand and salt shed.

Naples resident Laurie Frizzell asked if the salt stored in the shed could get into other wells, the Village aquifer and eventually into Long Lake.

She referred to the documented salt contamination that occurred in the well on the former Begin estate property as the reason for her concern. The Begin estate sits adjacent to the Naples Fire Station, and was purchased by the town in 2013.

Frizzell posed her question during the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday.

Chairman Bob Caron II said that the town’s sand shed was designed to the required state-mandated specifications to prevent the road salt, or sodium chloride, from contaminating other sources. Therefore, nearby wells and ground water are not in jeopardy of contamination, he said.

Caron said that it was the insurance company that determined the salt in the Begin estate well was from the town’s shed. But, basically the insurance company’s evidence was inconclusive, he said.

Frizzell suggested that the town monitor the well and aquifer for salt levels.

“We know how to take a water sample,” Caron said.

Later in the meeting, Naples Town Manager Ephrem Paraschak reported on the status of parcels to be put on the market to offset the cost of purchasing the Begin estate.

Paraschak plans to conduct a “telephone conference with the town attorney to go over the tax-acquired property list, including the Destiny Woods Subdivision that is in foreclosure right now.”

There are three town-owned properties that could be sold. The town has contacted real estate companies, but received only one response, Paraschak said.

“We are proposing to list the two State Park Road properties as one,” he said.

Selectman Christine Powers said, “We should have our assessors look at those prices and see if they are fair.”

Additionally, Powers suggested that Town Assessor Paul Binette, of John O’ Donnell & Associates, provide the board with feedback as to whether the two properties would be worth more in value if combined and sold as one parcel.

At mention of the Destiny Wood Subdivision bankruptcy, Caron provided a quick history lesson.

“The Destiny Woods Subdivision — that is 90 acres. Once the town gets it on the books,” the money can be recouped from the Begin estate purchase, he said.

“I looked at my notes from 2013. That was the deciding factor for the board with the old town manager” to purchase the Begin estate rather than enter into a settlement with the estate owners, he said.

“What sold the board to buy the Begin estate was to sell land that was town-owned like the Destiny Woods Subdivision,” Caron said.

Paraschak cautioned Caron not to count on the town receiving the entire acreage. First, the town will have to wait out the bankruptcy process, he said.

“There is not a 100 percent certainty that the town will get all of it, Paraschak said.

In a related matter, the Town of Naples has put out the Referral for Bids (RFBs) for a sand supplier for the upcoming winter road maintenance, according to Paraschak.

“The sand bids are out. I am asking for the bids to be returned by Oct. 28,” he said. “I did it out for one year with an option for pricing out to three years,” he said.

The Oct. 28 bid deadline will allow the selectmen to review bids during their next meeting on Oct. 31, he said.

“There is a fair amount of sand in the shed” for early season storms, Paraschak said, adding the goal is to have the sand delivered by early December. Typically, the town uses 3,000 yards of sand that is mixed with salt, he said.