Zoning Board takes no action on Marathon remediation

The Marathon station at 100 E. Main Street is in need of soil remediation for a gasoline leak that originally occurred decades ago.

After a lengthy public hearing on Wednesday night, the Manchester Village Council, acting as the Zoning Board of Appeals, decided to take no action on a request from SES Environmental of Fort Wayne, Indiana, (SES) to continue remediation of a gasoline spill that likely dates back to the 1970s, at 100 E. Main Street, the current site of the Marathon gas station.

According to Tom Timmermans, the SES spokesman who attended the ZBA hearing, an old gasoline release from “about four owners ago,” was discovered in the early 1990s. Initial remediation was done at that time, but with changes in ownership of the gas station, and changes in leadership and organization at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the final steps were never completed.

Timmermans indicated that “smears” of contamination from the gasoline spill still remain in the underground soils, which is what needs to be cleaned up at this time. The case was evidently re-opened by the DEQ a few years ago, when Frank’s Place had an inspection and some residual gasoline vapors were discovered underneath the building.

He also reported that the actual contamination extends southwest across Main Street toward Dr. Andrews’ chiropractic office.

Several residents were in attendance to talk about the implications of the proposed remediation, which was initially declined by the zoning inspector due to noise concerns. An air extraction system, consisting of a 5 HP generator and a blower fan, would be located behind the Marathon station in close proximity to the apartments above Frank’s Place and Steelegrafix, and relatively close to several homes in the immediate neighborhood. The generator and blower would be inside a 5′ x 8′ insulated trailer or shed, that would muffle the sound. But the proposal was to have the generator and fan running 24/7, for a minimum of 18 months, to completely remove the gasoline vapors from the soil underground.

The exhaust pipe for the air extraction system would extend at least 40 feet into the air, as requirements are that it is 1.5 times higher than the tallest nearby building.

Questions from the Council/ZBA and the public included whether other options were available to complete the remediation, the exact decibel measurement of the noise that would be created by the air extraction system and whether it would be disruptive to the neighborhood, whether this is the safest and most effective method of remediation, the length of time anticipated for the process to be completed, and how the exhaust pipe would be secured to assure safe operations. Some questioned whether the vapors would leave a residual odor in the air that might get into nearby buildings. These questions were not answered at the ZBA meeting, and consequently no decision was made.

Timmermans will return to the Sept. 17 meeting, hopefully with answers to some of the questions posed at last week’s meeting. The Village Council meeting will be held at 7 pm in Council chambers, on the lower level of the Village building, 912 City Road.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.