The town will receive a $585,000 insurance settlement that will close out a trucking firm’s liability for damages incurred when its truck, carrying 8,200 of gasoline, overturned on Route 44 in November 2022.
First Selectman Henry Tirrell revealed at Monday’s public hearing that he will hold a special Board of Selectmen’s meeting next week to get authorization to sign the settlement.
Closure has been a long time coming. Former First Selectman Matt Riiska initiated the claim against Soundview Transportation during his term in office, citing some $750,000 in costs the town had to cover during the cleanup. Negotiations dragged on, however, and he left office last November without reaching a resolution with Federated Service Insurance Company.
The town eventually took the issue to court. To date, it has expended $143,000 in legal fees and may have more expense before all is concluded, according to Tirrell. The money to pay those fees will be taken from the settlement, with the selectmen recommending that the remainder be applied toward the cost of a new firetruck anticipated to cost $1.1 million.
While most damage has been mitigated, Verdantas, an environmental consulting firm, continues to monitor pollution levels and tests soil and groundwater in the aftermath of the gasoline spill. Soundview Transportation is responsible for the cost of that work.