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Site Report: Kake Former Elementary School

Site Name: Kake Former Elementary School
Address: SE of Church Street & Fourth Avenue Intersection, Kake, AK 99830
File Number: 1514.57.002
Hazard ID: 26252
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: Flannery Ballard, 9074655368 flannery.ballard@alaska.gov
Latitude: 56.976518
Longitude: -133.949487
Horizontal Datum:WGS84

We make every effort to ensure the data presented here is accurate based on the best available information currently on file with DEC. It is therefore subject to change as new information becomes available. We recommend contacting the assigned project staff prior to making decisions based on this information.

Problems/Comments

The City of Kake (The City) applied for DEC Brownfield Assessment and Cleanup (DBAC) from the DEC's Reuse & Redevelopment Program. The City intends to complete building demolition of the former Kake Elementary School. In order for demolition plan to be completed, a Hazardous Building Materials (HBM) survey is required to determine special handling of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) and lead paint. The City also plans to remove and dispose of one onsite heating oil tank. The conditions surrounding the tank will be evaluated to ensure that contamination, if present, is removed and managed properly. The UST removal was completed in September 2014. Two cubic yards of contaminated soil was segregated from the excavation, however the majority of excavated soil (93 cubic yards) tested below ADEC cleanup levels. The contaminated soil was transported off site to the "City Pit" after DEC approval for natural attenuation and tilling under a management plan. The contaminated soil will be laboratory tested after one or two years. The petroleum constituent concentrations in the contaminated soil are as follows: DRO (2,170 mg/kg), benzene (0.411 mg/kg), 1-methylnaphthalene (7.03 mg/kg), and 2-methylnaphthalene (9.68 mg/kg) respectively. Plans are moving forward to construct an asbestos monofill in Kake in order to demolish and dispose of the dilapidated building. The material needing disposal is 362 cubic yards.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
2/21/2014 Brownfields Award FY 2015 City of Kake awarded EPA State and Tribal Response Program (STRP) funds of $47,726 for hazardous building materials survey with creation of a property assessment & cleanup plan on the Old Grade School. NTP# 18803603022 Cascade Galasso-Irish
7/9/2014 Site Added to Database A new site has been added to the database Mitzi Read
8/27/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Rec'd and reviewed workplan submitted by S&W. Danielle Duncan
9/8/2014 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved workplan submitted by S&W to excavate an UST and construct a biocell in addition to a HBM survey and historical building query. Danielle Duncan
9/17/2014 Site Visit Visited the site and met with S&W and the City Manager. The excavation of the underground storage tank went well. There was < 1 cubic yard of contaminated soil that will be land spread in an ADEC approved location. Danielle Duncan
11/20/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke to S&W and the excavation report is complete, we are just waiting for the historical building assessment and demolition estimate from the contractors. I do not expect to see the completed report before Dec. 1 as the demolition contractor is out of town until that time. Danielle Duncan
12/24/2014 Update or Other Action S&W provided the historical building assessment and an estimate for demolition of the school building and disposal of asbestos containing materials (ACM) off-island. The estimate for demolition and disposal off-island was too expensive, so a second estimate was provided to demolish and dispose of the building debris on island via an asbestos monofill. An estimate for the preparation of the permit was provided and we are planning on moving forward with demolition and disposal using the monofill approach. Danielle Duncan
2/19/2015 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 79737 name: Biocell Danielle Duncan
5/13/2015 Site Visit Site visit to Kake to meet with the City Council re: demolition and disposal options. I presented the on-island and off-island demolition and disposal estimates provided by S&W last year in addition to their proposal estimate for permitting of an asbestos monofill on-island. The City has been granted Brownfield services for this year which will provide the permit, construction drawings, management, and closure plan for the planned landfill. The City Manager showed me a proposed location of the landfill which was near the new high school and neither myself nor the City Council were particularly in favor although it would be fenced. The City plans to work with Kake Tribal Corporation to possibly place the landfill on Kake Tribal land as there is limited city land. The next step in the process is to provide the EPA with a Community Relations Plan and an Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives. Danielle Duncan
6/25/2015 Update or Other Action The ADEC has officially selected the Former Kake Elementary School to receive Brownfield services for fiscal year 2016. Danielle Duncan
6/25/2015 Brownfields Award City of Kake was awarded an FY 2016 DEC Brownfields Assessment and Cleanup service for the Former Kake Elementary School on this date. EPA State and Tribal Response Program (STRP) funds $73,040 awarded to the City of Kake for an asbestos monofil permit at the old grade school site. NTP# 18-8036-03-022D. Current status: project has stopped due to city subsurface rights issue. Lisa Griswold
6/30/2015 Update or Other Action S. Woods of DEC Solid Waste visited the site while on other business and was able to see the proposed location (KTC rock pit area) of the asbestos monofill and approved of it. We will have to ship out any hazardous waste (mercury thermometers, PCB ballasts, etc.) encountered. Provided S. Woods with the proposal submitted by S&W for the permit, my latest trip report, and the hazardous building material survey. Danielle Duncan
7/1/2015 Public Notice The public notice of the Analysis of Brownfield Alternatives (ABCA) was published in the Capital City Weekly and on juneauempire.com on this date. The ABCA was also posted electronically on the ADEC website. The 30 day comment period runs from July 1-30 2015. The ADEC has consulted with the City during a City Council meeting in addition to telephone conversations and together they have determined that the “Removal and Disposal Alternative # 2” is the preferred remedial strategy for the site due to cost restraints and the remote location of Kake. The permitting of an asbestos monofill for the City of Kake provides the first step in the demolition of the School and reuse of the site for the benefit of the community. Danielle Duncan
7/8/2015 Meeting or Teleconference Held Public meeting held in Kake to discuss the Analysis of Brownfield alternatives. There were nine people in attendance including the Mayor of Kake, the City Manager of Kake, the President of Kake Tribal Corporation, two Kake Tribal Corporation council members, a representative from Alaska Marine Lines, and interested community members. I provided a few handouts of the ABCA and rough orders of magnitude estimates for demolition of the building. I listened to everyone’s questions in addition to discussing the history and basics of the project and where it currently stands. We had a good conversation between myself, Kake Tribal Corporation, and the City of Kake regarding finding a suitable location for the asbestos monofill. They are still trying to determine where to place the monofill and will get back to me on their final decision. Danielle Duncan
8/24/2015 Update or Other Action Kake Tribal Corporation (KTC) plans on sending official confirmation of their acceptance of having the asbestos monofill on KTC land behind the airport this week. Once confirmation is received by our office, I will officially begin the permitting process. Danielle Duncan
9/28/2015 Update or Other Action A Notice to Proceed has been issued and I directed S&W to work with the City Manager on the location of the asbestos monofill because the City is still working with Kake Tribal Corporation on acquiring land. Danielle Duncan
10/5/2015 Update or Other Action Spoke to S&W, the City Manager of Kake, and DEC Solid Waste Department. The location of the asbestos monofill will be off of Middle Loop Rd and on Friday, a drone was used to gather the lat/long coordinates of the 4 corners of the property to be annexed from Kake Tribal Corporation (KTC) land to City of Kake. The President of KTC is going to put in a resolution and send the lat/long data to the attorney to see if it is sufficient for 14 C 3 transfer. I will get back to S&W and Solid Waste when I know the result of that. I also asked that the City Manager gather some information on the depth to bedrock and suggested to S&W that they conduct a site visit as part of their permit writing process. S&W said that they would look into that (as far as cost) and that they would want to have an excavator on site in order to do some characterization of the depth to bedrock work. Danielle Duncan
10/21/2015 Update or Other Action Discussed the progress of the location determination for the asbestos monofill with S&W and the City Manager - the Kake Tribal Corporation has submitted a resolution so that the city can acquire the land. Danielle Duncan
10/25/2015 Update or Other Action Rec'd the monofill site resolution from KTC providing land for the monofill this date. Danielle Duncan
11/5/2015 Update or Other Action Spoke with S&W and have directed them to begin working on the permit despite unknowns (groundwater elevation and depth to bedrock). S. Woods in Solid Waste is aware of the situation and is providing guidance. S&W may be providing 3 monofill designs: above, below, and halfway above ground in order to prepare for unknowns. There has not been a survey of the property, no funds for a survey, no equipment to dig to water table, and the City is in desperate need of a solution. Danielle Duncan
11/12/2015 Update or Other Action Rec'd lat/long coordinates and photo of monofill site - forwarded to Solid Waste & S&W. Danielle Duncan
11/20/2015 Update or Other Action Currently working with S&W on the monofill permit. Danielle Duncan
2/19/2016 Update or Other Action S&W has submitted the monofill application for pre-review to make sure all is in order. I let the city manager know. We also want to make sure that the permit is valid for a few years so that the city can apply for another block grant once their new dock/harbor is completed. The city will need some time to gather funding to build the monofill and then to demolish the building. Danielle Duncan
5/12/2016 Meeting or Teleconference Held Met with S&W in their office and with S. Woods at Solid Waste via telephone to discuss the data gaps in the asbestos monofill permit and our upcoming site visit/investigation. Danielle Duncan
5/31/2016 Update or Other Action Drafted and sent a letter to Sealaska Corp. regarding the asbestos monofill and the 14c3 process where KTC gives the City of Kake land for the monofill. CC'd all interested parties. Danielle Duncan
8/8/2016 Update or Other Action Sealaska will not grant the City of Kake subsurface rights in order to build an asbestos monofill therefore the project has been stopped until a resolution or alternative location can been found. Danielle Duncan
2/20/2019 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued The underground storage tank was excavated, was not leaking, and the site meets cleanup levels. Danielle Duncan
5/25/2023 Brownfields Award EPA announced a $2 million cleanup grant for the City of Kake to address the Kake Former Elementary School. Marc Thomas
6/15/2023 Brownfields Award DEC notified the City of Kake its intent to award DBAC services, Fall 2023. DBAC services will include reuse planning. Marc Thomas
10/19/2023 Site Visit The DEC travelled to Kake in order to conduct a site visit at the Kake Former Elementary School. Up to 10 samples of paint were collected from the inside and the outside of the building in order to analyse for the presence of PCBs. Photos were taken and are saved to the site file. DEC Brownfields discussed demolition, disposal, and development issues with the Mayor and a councilwoman from Kake. If PCBs are non detect, on-island disposal of construction debris is possible. Next steps will involve reaching out to Sealaska for land owner approval for on-island disposal. Flannery Ballard
1/5/2024 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC received the final PCB report, an updated cost estimate, and the resource road map. The final versions of these reports are approved and are saved to the site file. Flannery Ballard

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
Benzene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
DRO < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
1-Methylnaphthalene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil
2-Methylnaphthalene < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil

Control Type

Type Details
No ICs Required

Requirements

Description Details
Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.
Movement or use of contaminated material (including on site) in a manner that results in a violation of the water quality standards is prohibited (18 AAC 70)

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

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State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

P.O. Box 111800
Juneau, AK 99811-1800
Phone: 907-465-5066
Fax: 907-465-5245
TDD: 800-770-8973
Physical Location: 410 Willoughby