Larsen Bay Old School
- View detailed information from the database on this site.
- Database Name: Larsen Bay Old School
- Status: Active
- Location: Larsen Bay
- Latitude: 57.538059
- Longitude: -153.981476
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Key DBAC Services:
- Site Assessment
- Hazardous Building Materials Survey
- DBACs Awarded: 2011
- DEC File Number: 2606.38.002
DEC Contaminated Sites contact: Kelly Walker, Project Manager, 907-451-2166 (Fairbanks)
Site Narrative
- Requested by the Larsen Bay Tribal Council
Aerial photograph of the Larsen Bay Old School, shown in center of photo; the new school is shown at bottom.
The Larsen Bay Tribal Council requested an assessment of the former Larsen Bay Elementary School. The community plans to reuse this property for community gardens or a recycling center. The site is located next to the current school. The old school was constructed in the 1940s, with a footprint estimated at 1,640 square feet. The facility is a wood-framed structure, part sheathed and roofed with metal panels and a smaller area sheathed with wood and roofed with asphalt roofing. Heat was provided by an oil-fired furnace supplying warm air through an under floor duct system and by an oil-fired space heater. Electrical service to the facility was provided by an on-site diesel generator. According to a 1981 report by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, a 2,000-gallon underground storage tank (UST) was also located on site.
The Kodiak Island Borough owned the building and parcel until 1987. A new school was built directly adjacent to the property in 1980. The property ownership transferred to the City of Larsen Bay in 1988. The building now stands vacant and is boarded up. The parcel is fenced but is easily accessible and there are no institutional controls in place.
Larsen Bay Old School, looking southeast, with new school in the background
The Larsen Bay Tribal Council asked that the site be assessed for potential sources of contaminants, including petroleum and chemical contaminants, asbestos, and lead-based paint contamination. DEC services included a Property Assessment and Cleanup Plan and a hazardous building materials survey, in order to help support and facilitate the desired reuse of the site.
According to the project report, several recognized environmental conditions that could affect the future reuse of the site were identified: asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paint in the school; PCB-containing light-fixture ballasts; soil contaminated with diesel fuel in the southeastern area of the site; 55-gallon drums with unknown contents; a UST in the ground between the old school and the active Larsen Bay School; a septic system may remain in the subsurface west of the building; and two tanks on the adjacent property occupied by the active Larsen Bay School.
Project Documents
Primary Document: Property Assessment and Cleanup Plan, Larsen Bay Old School (PDF 4.6M)