Title
Grant Application for Environmental Assessment and Cleanup Assistance (B)
This item involves a grant application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for Site Specific Activity (SSA) financial assistance to address a low-risk environmental impact on the Depot Park site.
Explanation
In May 2005 Environmental Consulting and Technology, Inc. (ECT), the City's engineering consultant on the Depot Park project, completed an environmental assessment that discovered arsenic contamination at the site in the old rail bed. The contamination is the residual associated with the old rail spurs and not with the petroleum and coal tar remediation being conducted by GRU. Hence, the arsenic remediation is the responsibility of General Government due to indemnification clauses contained in sales agreement with CSX for the property.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the SSA program to assist with environmental assessments, development of cleanup options, and limited clean up of low risk contamination. The EPA funds are passed through the FDEP to the grant recipients. The maximum funding amount for eligible sites is $200,000. It is estimated that the second assessment and cleanup, if required, may cost approximately $200,000. If the grant is awarded, the FDEP will use its designated contractor to complete the assessments and possibly cleanup, if deemed necessary.
Staff has evaluated the project against the grant eligibility criteria and concluded that the project is eligible to compete for funding. An application and letters of support will be prepared for submittal.
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $200 for administrative costs is available in the Public Works Fiscal Year 2008 operating budget.
Recommendation
Recommended Motion: The City Commission: 1) authorize the City Manager to submit the application to FDEP for the SSA grant assistance, and; 2) authorize the City Manager to execute the...
Click here for full text