Cleanup of the former L.B. Carter bulk petroleum site and the fates of several tax-acquired properties were the major topics considered by the Caribou City Council Monday evening.
Richard Fortin, co-owner of Drumlin Environmental, LLC of Portland, presented a detailed site management plan for the former industrial parcel, currently owned by Canadian Pacific and located at the junction of Fort St. and River Rd. Fortin, along with Nick Hodgkins of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management, then fielded council questions regarding the property.
According to the plan report, “The site was leased to the L.B. Carter Heating Oil Company in 1976 and used as an aboveground petroleum bulk storage facility. The site was subsequently leased to Webber Oil Company in 1979 and operated up to the early 1990s. Webber decommissioned the bulk plant facility in September 1997. CP has been working to address the site environmental conditions under the regulatory requirements of the MDEP. In November 1998, CP entered into the Voluntary Response Action Program (VRAP) process in order to address impacted soils identified at the site in a manner that will be protective of human health and the environment.”
Heating oil spills occurred in 1979 and 1984, remediated by the MDEP, and environmental studies were done from 1992-2000 to assess petroleum residue in soil and groundwater. Residential wells were also tested and “no detrimental water quality impacts from petroleum were found in these wells,” the report states. In 2009, remediation guidelines for petroleum-contaminated sites in Maine became applicable to the property.
To address any potential exposure conditions at the site, additional investigation was done with VRAP staff and the MDEP, resulting in the final Drumlin document given to councilors.
“There is no imminent threat of exposure to anybody at this time, either from surface or groundwater,” Fortin said. “The soil management plan has been approved by the DEP, so if someone wants to use this site in the future, they can without being impacted by any residual contamination.”
Hodgkins told the council the MDEP has been working with Drumlin and with CP to assess both deep and shallow groundwater as well as soil. “Back earlier in the year, Drumlin proposed a plan to us,” he said. “We were satisfied with their approach. Given the data that we have, we think it’s the best approach and the most cost-effective approach.”
Councilor Philip McDonough II asked who would be responsible for the cleanup; Fortin replied CP would bear responsibility as the landowner.
Council members weighed in on the site’s possible future development. “Is surface construction over that piece of property OK?,” McDonough asked.
Fortin suggested part of the site could be used for, say, a parking lot, and explained a slab could be put over the area to prevent possible vapors. “You can plan your development so you don’t have to go into that soil, but if you have to, you have the soil management plan,” he added. That process would include placing at least a two-foot soil cover over the site.
Deputy Mayor David Martin wondered about the costs of site cleanup. Fortin noted the costs would depend on the development of the site. “It could be hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. “If you had a development that would be very intrusive, obviously the costs would be more.”
Hodgkins told the council more than 900 sites have applied for VRAP, and 750 of those sites have been completely resolved.
“Is there ‘little chance’ or ‘no chance’ of contamination?” asked Councilor Kenneth Murchison, referring to the proximity of the site to drinking water wells.
“There’s a very low chance,” Hodgkins stated. “I think we feel pretty confident with where we’re at. We studied the wells and we didn’t really find any impact. I would feel comfortable saying there’s no risk from this site to the water.”
Mayor Gary Aiken thanked Fortin and Hodgkins for their work.
City Manager Austin Bleess next presented a list of 17 tax-acquired properties and asked councilors to consider putting them out to bid. He suggested removing one from the list as it is a private cemetery, and proposed combining two other adjacent properties on Katahdin Avenue into one parcel. Councilors split on the first motion to put all but those three properties out to bid, later revising the motion to spare one Katahdin Ave. property, with conditions.
Wayne Vaughan of WT Holdings owns that property in question, on which he owes $3,024 in back taxes and $9,800 to the Caribou Utilities District. He told councilors he would like to work to pay his debt to the city and retain the property.
McDonough suggested council should stick to its policy on tax-acquired property disposal. “We can’t change our minds every time we do something,” he commented.
“I hate to foil a businessman who’s trying to do business here,” countered Murchison.
“Are you prepared to pay the full amount of taxes owed?” Aiken asked Vaughan.
“Yes,” Vaughan replied, indicating owning rental properties is a difficult business. “There are a lot of costs associated with it, and I’m doing my best to pay and keep things going.”
“The city needs to pay its bills, too,” Aiken responded. “I understand your situation; we have the same one.”
Aiken cast the deciding vote in the 4-3 decision to put the properties out to bid, except for the private cemetery lot and Vaughan’s parcel, if his taxes and utilities are paid in full by this Friday. If not paid in full, Vaughan’s property will go out to bid with the rest.
Bleess also reported that three other properties will be demolished in 2015 as part of Caribou’s slum and blight removal process.
In other business, members voted unanimously in favor of appointing a public safety complex study committee consisting of two city councilors, one planning board member, both public safety chiefs, the city manager and several members of the public. The process is expected to take several years but the committee will begin studying the need and possible grants for a facility to replace the aging police facility.
The council’s annual, charter-mandated organizational meeting will be held Friday, January 2, at 5 p.m., and the next regular council meeting will take place Monday, Jan. 12.
