Tainted Soil Minimal At Magruder Site

It was mostly good news, mixed with the reality that there was indeed contamination found at the old Magruder's Motor Co. property. The property is owned by the county after it was foreclosed on. Newfields was brought in to assess the contamination on the property and they gave their full report the the Glasgow City Council.

Chris Cerquone and Reuben Vincent were present to discuss the matter. Cerquone spoke mostly on what the data showed and what steps might be next for the city and county. He explained that they placed eight boreholes and sampled five different well locations.

The contamination was located close to where the old gas tanks were located. Currently the property is used for the Glasgow Farmer's Market, and Cerquone said that the contamination wouldn't affect anyone on the surface.

No metals were found in the soils. The only concerns remained with petroleum. Further testing might be needed to narrow down the contamination area and be sure where the groundwater flow is going – to be sure the groundwater won't continue to push more contamination along the way.

He also said that they need to evaluate the petroleum soil vapor concentrations. He said if vapor was an issue, that much of the time oxygen could help remedy the situation.

The good news is that government cleanup funding would likely be attainable for the property. He said that a petroleum fund that is available statewide would help cover the cleanup costs. This fund comes from insurance that tank owners statewide pay into for assessments and cleanup. He explained that his staff had already written a letter and it was already getting ready to be reviewed for eligibility and approval.

He explained the fund would cover up to $1 million for cleanup, with what would be like a $35,000 deductible for the property owner. Cerquone also explained that the Great Northern Develpment Corp. (GNDC) would be able to match that cost, covering half of that deductible. That leaves $17,500 for the county or city to pay.

Cerquone added that before the county transfers ownership of the property they should look into liability issues that could arise later. The decision on eligibility for the petrofund will take place Oct. 20.

Other action made at the city council meeting on Monday, Sept. 15, included the passing of the city budget.

Resolutions for levying for garbage and street maintenance also passed as no public comment was made during the session.