Mount Vernon will hire a qualified firm to handle brownfield remediation at the South Sandusky Street Improvements project and the Mount Vernon Justice Center project after getting approval from City Council at its April 13 meeting.
The decision follows a unanimous 7-0 vote by council members, authorizing the Safety Service Director to enter into contracts related to brownfield remediation for both projects. According to a video recording of the meeting, City Council member Mel Severns’ motion to move the resolution to its final reading was approved according to the video recording.
City Engineer Brian Ball said, “This is a partnership with our Knox County Land Bank in reading into it and learning about it. It is a very complicated process because it involves the Department of Development and the Ohio EPA. We have to have a qualified firm that has a certified professional in those environmental elements, and if we don’t do that, we have a very low chance of getting the grant” according to a video recording of the meeting.
Ball also said the council previously authorized an application for brownfield remediation grants to clean up the South Sandusky Street/SR 13 project. He said the city already missed the first opportunity for a grant but an allocation for Knox County is supposed to reopen, giving Mount Vernon another chance at funding. The project is nearing construction and several buildings need demolition. Environmental assessments have been completed for this project, and two sites were part of former railroad operations serving as coal oil and gas works, which triggers potential cleanup needs. The city may get funding for this work according to the video recording.
Ball said that previous Ohio Department of Transportation Director John Marchbanks said he could not build roads on coal waste and emphasized building on quality material instead. A brownfields cleanup grant would help remove coal waste and other unsuitable materials from these sites. Once cleanup is completed, Ball said they hope adjacent areas could be used post-construction if they receive a clean bill of health according to the video recording.
Ball added that efforts are being made to include city buildings north of 40 Public Square in these plans. While these buildings are not as contaminated, some asbestos and other materials present could help secure additional grants according to the video recording.
