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Home My WebLink About2007 03-05 600 CMWAGENDA CITY COUNCIL/MANAGER WORKSHOP Monday March 5, 2007 Council Chambers, City Hall 6:00 p.m. A. CALL TO ORDER B. ROLL CALL C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA D. NEW BUSINESS 1. Gladstone Area Improvements, City Project 04 -21 (Presentation by Chuck Ahl and Al Sunderman, Short Elliott Hendricks, Inc.) E. ADJOURNMENT AGENDA REPORT TO: Greg Copeland, City Manager FROM: Charles Ahl, Public Works Director /City Engineer SUBJECT: Gladstone Area Improvements, City Project 04 -21, Review of Savanna Contamination DATE: February 28, 2007 INTRODUCTION A public meeting has been called to review the current findings on the contamination discovered within the Gladstone Savanna. A representative from SEH, Inc., Al Sunderman, will be presenting information on the findings, the cleanup plan, and likely costs. Much of the information is preliminary and could change as we proceed with the investigation; however, we plan to share this data and the conclusions as it is developed. Background In December 2006, the City Council authorized Phase I of the Gladstone Improvements. Included within that authorization was an environmental consultant to investigate possible improvements for the Savanna. That consultant, SEH, Inc., has recently informed the City that their preliminary testing of soils on the Savanna has indicated contamination that possibly exceeds health standards. Attached is a map showing the test area and an internal memo from SEH. documenting the preliminary findings to the environmental scientist, Mr. Sunderman. The main concern on the site is the metals, specifically the lead and arsenic. The heavy oils and petroleum (DRO) also are a concern, but, as noted in the memo, these materials can be managed in a construction contingency plan where clean -up of the sites are typical to fuel tanks and usually can be managed relatively easy and inexpensively. The extent of the metals within the site needs further investigation. It does not appear that contaminants are outside this site. Preliminary meetings with the MPCA are being scheduled and a report of that meeting will be made at the Hearing. A representative from MPCA is likely to be in attendance at the meeting. Mr. Sunderman noted that he does not consider the site a public health hazard. His biggest concern for the site from a public safety standpoint would be someone digging into the materials. Obviously with frozen conditions, that is not a current concern. It may be a concern in the spring, summer or fall if children were on the site and decided to dig for a fort or other play activities. We will be exploring the necessary steps for future protections. The first step in the process involved the City entering into a Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup, called the VIC Program. This VIC program provides the assignment of a project manager from MPCA and makes the City eligible for grant funds. A number of questions are being investigated: What is the extent of the contamination? o SEH has been authorized to continue further exploration of the contamination beyond their original scope. This is work that will be paid through Council authorization of preliminary planning and engineering. A final scope of work is being developed Is it harmful for the public to access the site? o Mr. Sunderman does not currently believe that is a problem, although he wants to conduct the additional testing, which has been authorized. Why didn't the previous Phase I and Phase II analysis indicate this contamination? o At this point, we do not know the answer to this. We are exploring this. This may have legal ramifications involving other firms. SEH was not involved whatsoever in the 1990's work; so they are an independent investigator. We will keep our legal staff informed. It is possible that the earlier firms did not look for this surface contamination and explored deeper issues. If the previous reports identified contamination, why did the City proceed to purchase the property? o There are nine environmental documents that we are currently reviewing: • Dec 1989: Phase I done for Glacier Park • Dec 1992: Phase II done for Frisbee Hill Development • Dec 1992: Limited Phase 11 for Frisbee Hill Development • March 1993: Limited Phase II for Good Value Homes • May 1993: Phase I for Good Value Homes • August 1993: MPCA states that all information and testing in the Savanna area conclude that contamination is below action levels and approves removal of the site from the VIC program. • June 1994 (revision of March 1993 report): Limited Phase 11 for Good Value Homes (this report concluded that based on all previous studies no further environmental testing is needed for the intended uses of housing) • Sept 1994: Letter from American Engineering and Testing (authors of a majority of earlier reports) to the Public Land Trust that gives the opinion that "..contamination at the site does not pose a significant risk to public health, safety and welfare." • Oct 1994: Braun Engineering conducted an environmental soils evaluation for the City of Maplewood. Braun identified that the previous studies and their investigations identified polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are associated with heavier oils and coal -tar products; along with diesel - range organics (DROs) which are associated with diesel fuel, fuel oil and lighter oils. Because the site is planned for open space, they conclude that potential for direct exposure appears to be limited. They note that any disturbance of soils would require some cleanup that was `guesstimated' at $20,000 - $30,000. What is the likely remedy for this type of contamination and what are the clean -up costs? c This is very preliminary, and we don't necessarily know much about the extent of the contaminants. Typically the DRO material is best placed in berms and open air treatment. The heavy metals are typically covered with clean fill material and in some cases are capped with a paving material. We are meeting with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency personnel to determine a remediation plan. The potential that a clean -up plan may be simply filling and using the materials as berms and cover material exists. The costs are hopefully minimal. What is the next step for the City? c The first step is to confirm this information and continue to define the extent of the contamination. The City has informed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency of these findings and by entering this site into the V -1 -C program. This is a voluntary investigation and cleanup program monitored by the MPCA. Once the extent of contamination is known, the MPCA will assist with the remediation plan. The City has previously been involved in the V -1 -C program at the Maplewood Dump site near Jim's Prairie, which is near the railroad tracks north of Ivy and Ferndale. o Once in the V -1 -C program, we will avail the City to grant funds for the cleanup of Brownfield sites. Ramsey County has grant funds that should be available to help with remediation. We will be exploring that issue as we develop a clean-up/remediation plan. There are other grant programs for cleanup that SEH has provided assistance with that will be pursued. Will this impact the Gladstone process? o At this point, this does not seem to be of major concern for the Phase 1 project of Gladstone. We will need to coordinate any work on the storm water ponding area and the Savanna improvements with the remediation plan. It will be necessary that this be coordinated; but this should be a workable solution. It will likely add some additional staff and consultant time to the process, but I do not anticipate any major delays. Discussion This is very preliminary within the process, but we are hopeful that the cleanup of the site may be simple monitoring and proper handling of the material within the proposed improvements of the Savanna. At this point, the cost and extent of the cleanup cannot be quantified. We are aware that Ramsey County has some funds and once a plan is developed, we will pursue those funds. It is also very preliminary, but it does not appear that the previous studies missed any of the contamination. We may be testing in a better format, and it is clear that the original companies doing the testing were assuming that the open space land would remain without grading. As we develop plans for some grade changes, the original assumptions of the environmental studies are in question. We will continue to explore this, but in preliminary reviews, this seems to be the direction of our investigation. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that council conduct this Public Information Meeting. The Gladstone area has been mailed notice of this meeting. Testimony should be received after the presentation by Mr. Sunderman. No action is necessary by the Council. Attachments: 1. Site Map 2. 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