Old BIA School
- View detailed information from the database on this site.
- Database Name: Chevak Old BIA School
- Status: Informational
- Location: Chevak
- Latitude: 61.528608
- Longitude: -165.586592
-
Key DBAC Services:
- Site Assessment
- Cleanup Planning
- Hazardous Building Materials Survey
- DBACs Awarded: 2017, 2019
- DEC File Number: 2409.38.004
DEC Contaminated Sites contact: Hans Rinke, 907-262-3419
Site Narrative
- Requested by Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council
Old BIA School in Chevak, Alaska. Photo courtesy of 2017 Hazardous Building Materials Survey Report.
The building was constructed in 1973 to replace the old BIA school that burned down in 1972. It served as a dedicated school until 2003 when the school was closed. The surrounding property includes several buildings such as a boiler house, and village safety house and two tank farms. The community would like to reuse the school as a community multipurpose center utilizing as much existing infrastructure as possible. The school would house a number of programs including a tribal courthouse, language and cultural preservation center, a youth center, a suicide prevention center, and vocation and technical higher education center.
In 2014, the Old Chevak school was included in a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment done through the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. The Phase I identified remaining ASTs, lead batteries, past releases of fuel on the property and a weathered transformer on site. In 2015 received a site assessment to evaluated reuse of the school building through the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. Two soil samples collected found lead in the soil below DEC cleanup levels. In SFY 2017 the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council was awarded a DBAC service to conduct a Site Assessment including a Hazardous Building Material Survey on the school building and surround property. The report indicates petroleum constituents was found in soil above DEC cleanup levels, and the survey indicates that the building contained asbestos containing materials, lead containing materials, PCB containing materials, mercury containing materials and other potentially hazardous materials such as glycol, self-illuminating signs, refrigeration units, and other miscellaneous stored chemicals.
In FY19, DEC prepared an Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) to evaluate alternatives to address the HBM and petroleum-contaminated soil at the site. The ABCA outlined a number of alternatives and presented estimated costs for each alternative.
In 2021, the City of Chevak applied for DBAC services to conduct additional assessment activities. However, in March 2021, a fire destroyed the Old Chevak School. The City of Chevak, DEC, and others are considering how the fire impacts future cleanup and reuse activities at the property.