The public meeting was held on a Wednesday evening at the Library meeting room.  I gave a short presentation on the brownfields inventory, the sites selected for Phase I assessment, and potential Phase II sites.  We had about 10 people attend including four task force members (thank you Jason, Nick, Mary Ann and Deb), landowners from the Silver City Sawmill Phase I site, a representative from the East Helena School District, a lender from Valley Bank, and someone from MBAC’s board of directors.  Susan was also on hand representing LCC.

The Independent Record is going to do a story on the LCC Brownfields Project.  Susan, Wendy Thomi (EPA Brownfields Project Manager) and I took IR reporter Eve Byron and photographer Eliza Wiley to several of our Phase I ESA sites in Helena where we were interviewed about the project.  We’re hoping for some good press from the IR since they neglected to print the notice on our public meeting.

Yesterday I made a presentation on the LCC Brownfields Project to the Helena Realtor’s Association at their monthly luncheon.  There were 60+ people in attendance including several realtors we’ve been working with on our Phase I ESA sites.  Thanks to Laura Erikson and Susan for showing up for support.  The realtors were a captive audience and seemed to recognize the opportunities offered by the brownfields program.  After the presentation, Susan and I spoke with the realtor for the Helena Sand & Gravel (HS&G) site.  The owners of HS&G had previously asked me to postpone completing the Phase I ESA so they could investigate a sump in their shop hoping to address an environmental concern which would otherwise be identified in the report.  I obliged them and put the Phase I on the back burner.  When I got back to my office I receive a call from the owner of HS&G.  They were surprised we were still planning to complete the Phase I ESA on their property.  Obviously, there was a disconnect somewhere but regardless, the message was that they wanted to withdraw their site from the brownfields project because they didn’t want the “stigma” of being a brownfields site.  I was disappointed at their decision; however, I’m certain that we’ll pick up another site to replace HS&G.

We completed the Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the LCC Brownfields Project and this document was approved by EPA.  The QAPP is a comprehensive document to guide Phase II site assessments to ensure quality data is collected.

We’re moving ahead on the Phase II investigation at Caird Engineering Works/Pattern House.   We developed an approach to fill the data gaps at Caird and investigate environmental concerns at the Pattern House and these were outlined in a Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP).  The investigation has five tasks:   a groundwater evaluation, a subsurface soil investigation along the former railroad, a soil investigation under the Caird buildings, a soil investigation at the location of the former bulk plant at Caird, and a soil metals investigation at the Pattern House.  EPA approved our SAP and we’ll be implementing the Phase II assessment over the next several weeks.

A couple of final notes…  I completed Phase I ESAs at the Great Northern Quonset and former Gas Station/Vacant Lot at 1901 Euclid.  I’m still working on the Phase I at the Kenck Welding and Machine Shop in Augusta.  We received DEQ approval on eligibility of Synness Auto Wrecking East as a petroleum brownfields site.  Eligibility information was forwarded to EPA for final determination.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

I am happy to report that I received a signed permission form to conduct a Phase I ESA on the east half of the Synness Auto Wrecking property.  The west half of the property will remain an active salvage yard for the time being; however, the portion we will be working on has a surface water drainage that will be evaluated as part of the assessment.

With eight of the 12 Phase I ESAs accounted for, we are still looking for another four properties for brownfields assessment.  Top candidates are the Cyber Stop in Wolf Creek and Chris’ Repair in Lincoln.  Thus far, the owners of these sites haven’t responded to my phone calls and/or correspondence.   We will consider other properties with the assistance of the Task Force later this spring.

We have set the date for our next public meeting.  It’s scheduled for Thursday, March 15^th at 7pm in the large meeting room at the Lewis & Clark Library.  We will be working on a Fact Sheet to have available at this meeting over the next month.  Please mark your calendars.  We hope to see you there.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

A had another meeting with the Synness’ last week regarding participation in the brownfields project.  In addition to John and Karen, the Synness’ son Scott attended the meeting as did their realtor Don Dallas.  They currently have the east-half of their Auto Wrecking property for sale and are deciding whether to take advantage of the environmental studies being offered to them through brownfields.  They seem very interested but I have yet to receive their signed permission form for the Phase I ESA.

Last week we had a meeting on the Caird Engineering Works property.  In attendance were Laura and Susan from LLC County, Brian Obert and Terry Myre with the Montana Business Assistance Connection, Caird Realtor Joe Mueller, and me and Kirk Miller from Tetra Tech.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a strategy for the selling the Caird property since the deal with Rocky Mountain Development Council appears to have fallen through.  We discussed development of a clean-up plan for the property and the remaining data gaps.  Also discussed was how to leverage brownfield grant funds from the RLF to fund the cleanup.  Tetra Tech will be preparing a Sampling and Analysis Plan for further assessment at Caird as well as a clean-up document to guide cleanup without going through DEQ’s Voluntary Cleanup Program.

One final note…  On Friday I was contacted by Mark Simonich with the Helena Realtors Association about making a brownfields presentation at their bi-monthly luncheon on March 13^th.  This meeting typically attracts 80-100 people including realtors, title companies, bankers, appraisers, and property managers.  I’m looking forward to reaching so many people in the real estate community with the brownfields message and expect that we’ll get additional sites through this educational opportunity.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

This week we received notice from EPA that three petroleum sites were eligible under the brownfields program:  the Kenck Machine and Welding Shop in Augusta , the Silver City Sawmill, and the vacant lot at 1901 Euclid in Helena.  These sites had previously been approved by Montana DEQ for petroleum brownfields eligibility.

I quickly scheduled site visits for the Phase I assessments to try to beat the snow.  Tomorrow I meet with a representative from International Biomass Group (IBG) to do the site visit at Silver City Sawmill.  IBG is putting a wood pellet processing facility at the former sawmill site.  Yesterday I completed site visits at the Great Northern Quonset and 1901 Euclid sites.

We have a meeting scheduled with realtor Joe Mueller who represents Caird Engineering.  Joe is rethinking his sales strategy on the Caird property now that the deal with Rocky Mountain Development Council has fallen through.  He is considering marketing the property as six separate parcels and is interested in knowing which parcels, if any, could be sold without environmental cleanup.  Tetra Tech is preparing a cleanup plan for the Caird property and this meeting will likely give us direction on how the final product should look so it’s most advantageous to potential buyers.

I’d like to schedule a Task Force meeting for sometime in January to discuss where we go from here with the Phase I assessments.  At this point we have grant funds for five more Phase Is.  I’d like some guidance from the Task Force on where this money would be best spent and I’ll concentrate on seeking permission from those landowners.  It’s probably time to hold another public meeting too.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

On November 16^th several of us met with Alicia Stickney, with DNRC’s Reclamation and Development Grants Program.  We learned about two types of grants DNRC offers to municipalities for brownfields projects; $50,000 planning grants, and $300,000 cleanup grants.  Planning grant applications are accepted on a revolving basis, while cleanup grant applications are only accepted on even years to coincide with the legislative session.  Two sites in Lewis & Clark County came to mind as good candidates for this program; the Commissioner’s Garage site which could benefit from a planning grant, and the former MDT Fairgrounds Shop which would require cleanup if the county was to acquire the property to connect the fairgrounds and Ryan Ball Fields.  Thanks to Jason Seyler, DEQ Brownfields Coordinator, for setting up this meeting.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time contacting landowers of the potential brownfields sites for permission to conduct Phase I assessments.  Since my last posting we’ve received signed consent for the Great Northern Quonset at 814 Front Street and the Vacant Lot at 1901 Euclid – both in Helena.  In addition to those two, we have owner consent for the former Helena Sand & Gravel Shop, Pattern House, Silver City Sawmill, and Kenck Welding & Machine Shop (aka Implement Shop) in Augusta.  I am backing off pursuing several of the potential sites for the time being because I’ve sent letters and left several phone and/or e-mail messages – to no avail.  I know there are property owners out there who would welcome the opportunity to participate in the brownfields project.  We’ll re-convene the Task Force in a couple of months and consider our next move.

Eligibility determination letters were received from DEQ to conduct petroleum brownfields assessments at the Silver City Sawmill, Kenck Welding & Machine Shop and Vacant Lot at 1901 Euclid.  Thanks to Nick Sovner, DEQ Petroleum Brownfields Coordinator, for pushing these through the system.  Eligibility forms have been forwarded to EPA for concurrence.  Since my last posting, EPA signed off on the Great Northern Quonset site.

I managed to beat the snow and performed the Phase I site visit at the former Helena Sand & Gravel Shop a couple of weeks ago.  The owner has asked that we wait and issue the report until after they’ve had a chance to open and investigate the sump in the shop.  The sump was used to contain vehicle maintenance fluids and may discharge into the yard which would constitute an environmental concern.  The owners are looking to get a “clean bill of health” on the site and want to circumvent a recommendation for further assessment, if possible.

I attended the City Commission meeting last week when the rezoning of the Caird Engineering property was up for final vote.  Although the commission voted to change the zoning from CLM to B1, as requested by Rocky Mountain Development Council (RMDC), another twist developed which caused RMDC’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) grant to be rescinded by HUD.  Seems a third party paid the delinquent taxes on the Caird property and filed a tax lien.  The taxes had not been paid intentionally in order to qualify for the NSP funds but would have been paid by the end of the year, a condition of the rezoning request.  Unfortunately, everyone is scrambling to get HUD to reconsider revoking the NSP funds they had committed to the project.

Saving the best news for last, I’m happy to report that on December 5^th I have a meeting set up with John & Karen Synness, owners of the Synness Auto Salvage Yard.  They’re interested in hearing more about the brownfields project and what would be involved if they agreed to participate.  Back in the late 1990s, I did a Phase I and II at an auto salvage yard in Missoula.  I plan to bring this report along with me and explain to the Synness’ what types of impacts we’re likely to find at their property and how we would go about completing a Phase II.  In my opinion, this is the best potential brownfields site in our planning area so I’m excited that the owners are receptive to talking to me.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

This week I had a meeting with Laura and Susan with LCC and we ran through the list of potential sites; dropping those that were determined not to be feasible and deferring others to the inventory for future consideration. We also added a new site: the Yuhas Millworks in Helena.  The table below presents the status of the sites to date.

In my attempts to get permission to conduct the Phase I assessments I’ve been speaking with a number of realtors.  In general, they haven’t been aware of the brownfields project and it puts us at a disadvantage because many of the property owners are relying on their realtors for advice on whether to participate in the program.  We decided that some brownfields education to the realtor sector was in order.  I spoke with the Helena Realtor’s Association and they are very interested in helping us get the message out the realtors.  There are three ways they can help us.

1)      We can make a presentation at their bi-monthly membership meeting/luncheon.  They usually get 100 people – realtors, bankers, title companies, appraisers, home inspectors, etc.  The November meeting agenda is already full, so we’ll try to get on the agenda for the Jan. 10th meeting..

2)      They send out an electronic newsletter each month that goes to about 300 members.  We can submit one or more articles – they are happy to include them in the newsletters.

3)      Flyers.  They will help distribute flyers to banks, realtor offices, etc.  Our project budget has money for a brochure and we’re considering tailoring the brochure to the realtor population and have the association help us with distribution.

This week we also learned this week that abatement of asbestos and mercury thermometers was completed at Sheridan Hall with funding through the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund.  That’s good news for the Helena Indian Alliance.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

I have yet to contact landowners of the potential brownfields sites in Lincoln because task force member Lisa Smith recommended that we schedule a meeting to talk to them in person.  I plan to set up this meeting in the next several weeks.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech

It was agreed that community meetings would be held in Lincoln and Augusta to discuss the potential brownfields sites there.  We learned that one of the potential  sites in Lincoln was an active LUST TRUST facility which will potentially disqualify it from further consideration in the brownfields program.

The current grant has funding for 12 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments.  Below is how things look at this point for  the assessments:

1 – Caird Engineering Phase I Update
2 – Lincoln site
3 – Wolf Creek site
4 – Canyon Ferry site
5 – East Helena site
6 – Silver City site
7 – Augusta site
8-12 – Helena sites

I will begin calling landowners of the Helena sites and move down the list until we have at least five who are interested in participating in the brownfields program.  I will also call the owners of the potential sites in the smaller communities to inform them of the brownfields opportunity.  Once we get sites with willing landowners EPA will do an eligibility determination.  Then the fun begins!

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech Project Manager

A Task Force meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd, at noon in the Staggering Ox/Red Atlas conference room.  At this meeting we will add a “discretionary” element to the site selection process.  After scoring and ranking the sites, this final step will involve determining which sites we like best.  It will involve some discussion and possibly some debate but the objective is to decide which sites will move forward in the process.  At this point, we have funding for 11 Phase I ESAs and have committed to doing at least one in each community.   Following site selection I will begin contacting landowners to see if they’re interested in participating in the brownfields project.  After that, we will submit the sites to EPA for an eligibility determination.  Below you will find a table listing the scored sites by community.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech Project Manager

Other brownsfields activities accomplished during the past few weeks include completing draft versions of the project-wide Quality Assurance Project Plan (which will guide data collection for the Phase II projects) and the Sampling and Analysis Plan/Health and Safety Plan for Phase II activities at Sheridan Hall.  These documents will be submitted to EPA for review and approval within the next couple of weeks.  I hope to complete the draft version of the Phase I ESA for Caird Engineering Works next week.

I want to congratulate Wendy Thomi on her new position as the Brownfields Coordinator for the U.S. EPA, Region 8.  I understand that Wendy will start her new job on Tuesday after Labor Day, replacing long-time Brownfields Coordinator Stephanie Wallace who retired mid-July.  We look forward to working with Wendy as we move into the assessment phase of the LCC Brownfields Project and wish Stephanie the best in her retirement.

Daphne Digrindakis
Tetra Tech Project Manager