Paramus residents fear soil stigma
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| Monday, July 30, 2007 |
Tainted soil found at West Brook Middle School months ago has some Paramus homeowners concerned that their property values will drop.
So far, there's no hard evidence that prices in the neighborhood around West Brook have dipped in response to the pesticide contamination. But those who predict a downswing feel sure that the school district's tarnished reputation for covering up the contamination can mean only one thing for property owners.
"When people hear stories like that, let's face it, they're concerned," said Gary Siramarco, whose twin daughters attend West Brook. "It's going to affect property values."
The public first learned of tainted soil at West Brook in May, about four months after environmental consultant Melick-Tully and Associates alerted school officials to pesticides in the soil at levels 39 times state safety guidelines.
The ensuing controversy prompted Paramus Mayor James Tedesco to close the school and the Board of Education to put Superintendent Janice Dime on paid leave.
| By the numbers • Average home assessment: $451,791* • Average home price of residences sold between January and June 2007: $622,200 • Range of home prices in the neighborhood around West Brook Middle School: $450,000 to $2 million *Figures from 2004 boroughwide assessment Source: Paramus Tax Assessor's Office |
For residents who live in the area near West Brook -- west of Route 17, east of Paramus Road, between West Midland and West Ridgewood avenues -- it also has sparked fears that their most important investments may now be in jeopardy. The neighborhood is an eclectic mix of ranches, colonials, Cape Cods and bilevels, which can cost $450,000 to $2 million.
Richard Curran, an independent real estate appraiser, said concerns over property values there are by no means unjustified.
"Perceptions are what create value," he said. "Is that going to hurt it? Most likely."
As a real estate appraiser, Curran's job is to value property based on past sales, not on speculation. He said he does not have recent sales figures on homes in the neighborhood around West Brook, and thus could not make any definitive judgments on property values there.
"We can only compare to the past, not project to the future," he said. "There's no way to really tell until someone tries to [sell]."
Paramus Councilman Richard LaBarbiera said he was unaware of any impact on property values. "I don't know how anybody could draw such a conclusion after such a short period of time," he said.
He still doesn't think it will affect people's perceptions of the town.
"I trust that Paramus will remain a very desirable community in the years to come," he said.
No clear picture
James Anzevino, Paramus tax assessor, did not have a clear picture of whether the tainted soil has affected values. He expected to have a better sense in September because of the time it takes to process records after homes are sold.
"If someone closed on May 15, we're probably just getting [records] in now," he said.
Since late May, three homes in the neighborhood around West Brook have been sold, Paramus Building Department records show. Prices on those sales are not currently available.
Sales prices -- when compared with the last property assessment in 2004 -- take into account many variables, including whether improvements have been made, whether a new home was built, the size of the home and the most recent trends in the market, Anzevino said.
As a result, making any connection between sale prices and the soil contamination is premature, he said.
Residential real estate brokers in and near Paramus say they haven't witnessed a marked change in values around West Brook since the contamination story broke two months ago. They say dips in value are more likely a result of general market forces.
"The normal cycle of real estate will continue," said Lynn Zymet, a broker manager at Prudential Adamo Realty in Paramus. "There's a dip overall."
She noted that buyers looking to purchase a house in the area would have to research the contamination at West Brook on their own. Real estate brokers are prohibited by law from telling potential buyers details about a neighborhood's history and its demographics.
"There's lists that probably the town will have that will probably disclose the conditions," she said. "Would I price a house lower in that area? I would not."
'Unfair to the town'
But the fears remain. Michael Evangel is concerned that property values throughout Paramus will be adversely affected.
"A lot of people are worried about it," he said. "It's really unfair to the town. This is not just a Paramus problem. This is a national problem."
Since aldrin, dieldrin and chlordane -- the pesticides found at West Brook -- were commonly used before the federal government banned them in the late 1980s, Evangel believes schools throughout the nation are contaminated.
One factor contributing to Olivia Delmonico's concern is what she sees as a lack of resolution. Dime still receives a paycheck from the school district and the district's business administrator, Jerome Bohnert, continues to work.
"We need to bring back the town's reputation," she said. "Everybody's fearful property values will plummet."
Not all homeowners who live near West Brook are afraid they'll lose out, though. John Blume has lived a block from West Brook for 11 years and has expressed mixed feelings about the potential for health risk and what it might mean to his property value.
At first, he was alarmed when contamination was discovered, but more recently, he expressed confidence that it would not cause any health problems. He also said testing his own property for contamination would cause tension among his neighbors, especially if the tests came back positive.
"If that were to happen, everybody would go crazy around here," he said. He won't test, he said, until his neighbors do.
"My wife has been digging in the dirt here for the past 40 years," he said. "If there's any illness in the neighborhood, I don't know anything about it."
Press reports blamed
Some state and local officials have criticized the press for creating what they describe as an alarmist portrait of West Brook. Kevin Schick, the state Department of Environmental Protection's chief of environmental evaluation, said press accounts of contamination at West Brook magnified the potential health risk beyond reason.
"You made it seem like kids are going to die," he said. "These chemicals are found in all our bodies ... due to natural exposure."
Others – such as the Siramarcos – aren't certain that contamination at West Brook is so benign. Two of Gary Siramarco's daughters have complained of arthritis-like aching uncommon for girls their age, and other parents have expressed similar concerns about their children. Dozens of parents and teachers have retained lawyers who are working on class-action lawsuits.
Despite this, some parents feel as if speaking out has made them pariahs. They argue that people in the neighborhood are more concerned with property values than public health.
Joseph Schisani has a child at West Brook and has been outspoken about the tainted soil there. He feels many of his neighbors are worried about not only falling property values, but also the school district's damaged reputation.
"People move into this town for what reasons? Good education and low taxes," he said. "I'm worried about my property, but I'm also worried about my kids. I'm not happy with what's going on."
He's committed to speaking out, but says it has alienated him from many of his neighbors.
"They think I'm going to hurt them with property values," he said.
E-mail: gartland@northjersey.com
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