The City met with Laurel Berman of the ATSDR in December to review the draft Action Model and adjust it accordingly with the results from our second workshop held in October 2009. The City has been in touch with Laurel regarding the status and will post the latest edited version on to the website as soon as it’s received!
As mentioned last month, Phase II Environmental Site Assessments were completed by our environmental consultant AECOM in December. Soil and groundwater samples were taken from the site on 119th and Vincennes in the Northeast Industrial District as well as from the southeast portion of the Metra lot near the train station in the South Station District. Both sites were chosen for the Phase II testing because they are highly integral to implementation of the Blue Island Plan.
The month of January involved the full attention of AECOM to analyzing the data gathered from the two locations. AECOMcompiled the results into a report which the City received the first draft of this past week.
Phase I Site Selection
The Community Development Department is beginning to select sites in the South and West industrial areas for environmental investigations. These areas were first identified in the Blue Island Plan for “Cargo Oriented Development,” or COD. The South COD District is roughly bound by 135th Street, Division St, 139th Street, and Sacramento. The West COD District follows Wireton Rd from California to 127th Street, and along 127th from Homan to Western Ave.
Our goal is to come up with a list of sites for our consultant (V3 Co.) to conduct what are called Phase I environmental site assessments. These assessments look at property history through tax assessments, old maps, and regulatory records.
Working with Property Owners
Phase I Assessments through Blue Island’s Brownfields Program can be a real win for property owners. Should someone want to sell, they would need to perform this sort of work as part of due diligence (i.e. “all appropriate inquiry”), and we’re doing this for the owner at no charge to them! Of course, if something is discovered, it is important for the owner to become aware of their liability, and we can move on to the next phase and help property owners establish a plan to address any environmental issues.
But we love to hear is that a property is “clean and green”—we’ve heard it said that all of Blue Island is a brownfield, and that is simply not true! By being able to address perceptions and realities about property, the Community Development Department is helping owners put their land to profitable use.
