“I wish Pete Buttner could be here,” said Ted Ausfeld, the day before he and Charles Rielly received awards from the Army Corps of Engineers.

As the Army Corps of  Engineers closes out a former burn-pit area at the now-defunct Army depot, a system must be put in place so that future generations know of potential hazards to human health.

The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation has reclassified a landfill at the defunct Army depot in Guilderland Center. The site had been classified as a “significant threat to public health or environment” and now is classified as “properly closed," requiring “continued management.”

A public session Monday night was meant to close out a former burn-pit area at the now-defunct Army depot near Guilderland Center as requiring “no further action.” But two important questions were raised: What if future property owners are not aware of dangers from remaining vapors, and will the federal government cover costs to mitigate “vapor intrusion” if a new structure is built in the area with elevated concentrations?

GUILDERLAND — The United States Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for cleaning up formerly used defense sites, is seeking community interest in forming a restoration advisory board for the former Army Depot located where the Northeastern Industrial Park is now located.

Two citizens have devoted themselves to keeping Guilderland's water clean, seeing that toxins buried by the Army in town are contained. Others should join them in the work ahead, drafting a regional plan to protect the reservoir.