By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief

DERBY — O’Sullivan’s Island is ready for visitors to enjoy its scenic river vistas.

City officials held a grand opening ceremony Thursday, and a new sign welcomes people to “O’Sullivan’s Island Recreation Park and the Derby Greenway.” The site, at the end of Caroline Street, had been off limits to the public for years because of contamination, but the ominous sign that had warned people away is gone.

“We are officially open, and people can walk out here and not worry about contamination,” said Mayor Anthony Staffieri. “It is exceptionally beautiful when you walk around the riverbanks here. I envision residents of Derby and surrounding communities picnicking and fishing here, with children playing on the island.”

The site, actually a peninsula at the junction of the Naugatuck and Housatonic rivers, has a history of pollution. Several 55-gallon drums containing hazardous materials were buried there years ago. A fire training school formerly at that location contributed to the pollution problem, because of the burning of accelerants. The site contained PCBs — hazardous chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls — and other contaminant exposure hazards.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed contaminated soil, and city officials announced in July that the environmental cleanup was finished.

Wing Chau, project manager with the EPA, attended Thursday’s ceremony, and he said officials tested the soil to determine the extent of the contamination, removed it and installed clean fill.

“We excavated 15,000 tons of material,” Chau said.

While the cleanup was finished this summer, the official opening wasn’t until Thursday, as city workers have been clearing brush to make it easier for visitors to walk the property and see the river.

The city is seeking more grant money to turn the area into a park-like setting, as officials want to put in a pedestrian bridge and walkway.

Sheila O’Malley, city director of economic and community development, said the city has applied for three grants, totaling $1.45 million, from the state Department of Environmental Protection for improvements. The city hopes to find out if it will receive that funding by the spring, O’Malley said. Continued...

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The city wants to create a picnic area, possibly playground, a field for football or softball, a small beach area, and a boat dock and pier, she said.

The Valley Council of Governments already has received notice that it will get $325,000 for improvements to O’Sullivan’s Island. That funding comes from a 1999 settlement with General Electric Co. that included $7.5 million for restoration projects in Connecticut aimed at improving the Housatonic River, in the wake of the release of PCBs from the GE facility in Pittsfield, Mass., according to the DEP.

This $325,000 will go toward a handicapped-accessible fishing pier, a parking area, boat ramp modifications, a walkway, fishing spot enhancements and restoration of native plantings.

Richard Dunne, VCOG executive director, said much of that work will begin in the spring.

Michelle Tuccitto Sullo can be reached at mtuccitto@nhregister.com or 789-5707.

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