The mysterious Tier II relates to haz mats

FALLS VILLAGE — It turns out the town does indeed have to submit a Tier II report, and the process got underway Monday morning, Feb. 25.At the Feb. 11 meetings of the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectmen, First Selectman Pat Mechare reported receiving an email reminder that Tier II reports were due March 1 from GeoInsight, an environmental services company the town has used in the past.Mechare had never heard of a Tier II report. Neither had former First Selectman Lou Timolat, who was at the meeting.But apparently such a requirement exists, and on Feb. 25 Mechare said that GeoInsight was in town preparing the report, which she described as complex.Mechare said she identified seven town-owned sites that store liquids that, if spilled, could be hazardous.She said the threshold for having to file a Tier II report is 1,500 gallons at one specific site.Of the seven sites — the town garage, the Lee H. Kellogg School, 107 Main St. (Senior Center and the P.D. Walsh Country Store), Town Hall, the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department building on Railroad Street, the Falls Village Day Care at 35 Page Road, the transfer station on Route 63, and the town pool, also on Route 63 — only the first two meet the 1,500 gallon standard.The town garage has two 275 gallon tanks for heating oil; a 1,000 gallon diesel fuel tank, and another 500 gallon diesel tank; a 275 gallon drain oil tank; a 50 gallon motor oil tank; and a 50 gallon hydraulic oil tank.The Kellogg school has one 10,000 gallon heating oil tank, and a 1,000 gallon propane tank.Mechare said the report would cost about $2,000 to prepare; the selectmen met Tuesday, Feb. 26, in a special meeting for a first pass at a proposed municipal spending proposal and to authorize the payment to GeoInsight.Mechare said the Tier II reports have to be filed annually and she would advise the Board of Education to include the cost of the school portion of future reports in its proposed spending plans.Mechare said the purpose of the reports is to have an inventory of potentially hazardous stored materials in case of an emergency, so first responders know what they might be facing.