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Power plant scrapping on hold |
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Tuesday, 19 February 2008 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
ST. MARYS — Asbestos at the site of the former St. Marys Power Plant has city officials examining their next step in the scrapping of the facility.
Safety-Service Director Tom Hitchcock told members of the St. Marys Electric and Communication Committee Monday night he, along with Mayor Greg Freewalt, plan to tour the power plant later this week to determine a course of action. Hitchcock said to date, crews removed $34,000 in scrap metal from the power plant.
“We have run into a lot of asbestos, it is not bad but we wanted to get everything cleaned up,” Hitchcock said. “We will walk it and decide where we want to go.”
Hitchcock said city crews are unable to remove asbestos from any of the machinery and components at the facility. In order to remove the asbestos, a contractor who specializes in its removal would have to be called in by city officials.
“It’s not something we can remove and we don’t mess with asbestos,” Hitchcock said. “We are going to regroup and make sure we are going in the right direction.”
An Ohio Environmental Protection Agency investigator arrived in St. Marys Feb. 5 to do an inspection of the site. Hitchcock said the EPA investigator showed up after the state agency received an anonymous letter alleging misconduct with cleanup at the power plant.
“We passed the inspection and the EPA said we are doing everything OK,” Hitchcock told The Evening Leader following the meeting. “He said we were doing a good job.”
Upon walking the plant, Hitchcock said he plans to develop a course of action next week. The safety-service director said there is a significant amount of metal that can still be scrapped at the plant.
“Next week we are going to make a decision on what we are capable of doing and what we want to mess with,” Hitchcock said. “There is a lot of asbestos but is it worth it to remove it all and scrap out the metal or remove it at a later date. We’ve just barely scratched the surface of what can be scrapped out.”
Hitchcock said the process of supplying electric service to the site of the new school should begin in the coming weeks. The city plans to run a 12,470 volt power line to the site until future development requires the construction of a 69 KV substation.
“In the beginning we will not put a substation in because of the need to get power to the site by February 2009,” Hitchcock said, noting it would take up to 30 weeks to get materials for the substation. “When we have other development out there, we will put one in.”
Hitchcock said the basic design and soil testing of the substation is required now, as is approval from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to run the power line across U.S. 33. The city hired Poggemeyer Design Group to assist in the design, bidding and construction supervision of the project — which has a price tag of $53,400. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 22 February 2008 )
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