Community Outreach Meeting Held at County Courthouse

April 27, 2009

Community Outreach Meeting - March 4, 2008

On behalf of Sullivan County, Hart & Hickman (H&H) conducted Brownfield Phase II site assessment activities at the former Davis Pipe property under the County’s Brownfield Assessment Grant. A community outreach meeting was held at the Sullivan County Courthouse on March 4, 2008 to discuss the Phase II sampling results and their impact on the future use of the site.

H&H's Bruce Hickman, P.E. summarized the Phase II sampling recently completed by H&H at the site.  The following data were highlighted:

• 47 soil samples, 16 ground water samples, 10 surface water samples, and 11 sediment samples were collected across the site in identified areas of concern
• sampling results indicated little environmental impact to the site when compared with commercial/industrial and residential screening criteria.
• H&H shared data with TDEC for a toxicological evaluation of the sampling data. TDEC concluded that only manganese concentrations in ground water were an unacceptable risk. Manganese does not have a Primary Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for ground water ; however, it does have a Secondary MCL due to undesirable aesthetic concerns.
• public water is available in the area and ground water is not used for drinking water. The unaccepted ground water risk can be controlled by site ground water use restrictions
• drums and other smaller containers of chemicals were relocated and restaged into a site warehouse building and unknown drums were sampled for waste profiling. The building was secured by lock and key. A cost estimate of approximately $25,000 was obtained for drum recycling and disposal.
• an asbestos survey was performed that identified two minor occurrences including the backing of the kitchen sink and approximately 1,200 sq ft of floor tile and mastic. Costs for asbestos removal will be modest.
• a RCRA regulated waste management unit at the site was previously assessed and remediated under the direction of TDEC and EPA. Spent pickling wastes (neutralized pickling sludge) were stabilized, solidified, and covered beneath an engineered liner system on-site. TDEC requires that the waste unit be monitored and the asphalt cap maintained. Ground water sampling is conducted in surrounding wells on an annual basis, and no impacts have been identified.

Sullivan Co. Planning recently obtained a FEMA floodway map that shows a large percentage of the developable portions of the former Davis Pipe site to be located within the Zone A boundary. Site redevelopment will be constrained by its floodplain location. The existing site buildings and paved surfaces are grandfathered and can be rehabilitated within their existing footprints. Expansion will require an engineering analysis to demonstrate that such expansion will not result in a rise in the 100-year floodplain elevation upstream. Sullivan Co. Planning is not encouraging residential development within the floodplain. Public parks and recreational facilities are still viable alternatives for floodplain areas.

In a March 26, 2007 grant kickoff community meeting, local residents voiced that heavy cut-thru traffic in the neighborhood was a critical concern. The community was informed that Sullivan Co. officials have looked into several possible traffic controls including:

1. cul-de-sac to stop thru traffic
2. speed bumps and humps to slow and/or reduce thru traffic
3. use of signage
4. control of area use density via the rezoning process.

Several local residents indicated that signage is an ineffective deterrent to reducing cut-thru traffic. DOT has indicated that speed bumps are not an option. Speed humps could be used. A cul-de-sac at the end of Oak Street was suggested by the County Mayor as an option provided the Fire Department did not object. Ken Rea of First Tennessee Development District contacted that County Sheriff to request that traffic law enforcement could be bolstered in the area to discourage speeding and cut-thru traffic. Community members indicated that the increased County Sheriff’s presence has done little to resolve the cut-thru traffic problems. A general consensus was reached by the community that if the cut-thru traffic was restricted, any additional traffic that may be generated as a result of potential site redevelopment would be acceptable.

Community attendees were encouraged to make suggestions regarding what type of site redevelopment they desired that would fit within the constraints that were discussed during the presentation. Suggestions voiced by the community are listed below.

• Quiet Manufacturing
• Light Manufacturing
• County Storage Facility
• Call Center
• Pottery Plant
• Training Facility
• Athletic Fields
• Park
• Wildlife Park
• Lake
• Hiking and Biking Trails (Seek Public Funds)
• Provide Access From TN 394