ThisWeek CW 01/31/2013
Canal Winchester will finally see the cleanup of underground fuel storage tanks at the long closed Marathon gas station at 18 W. Waterloo St.
The only visible remnant of the business is the parking lot which is often used by city staff and visitors to Town Hall.
However, according to CW Public Services Director Matt Peoples, there is still an environmental footprint of the old gas station underground.
“When we dug out for a sewer line near the tanks there was stuff bubbling out, it doesn’t go away very easily,” Peoples said.
Development Director Lucas Haire has been working with The Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation to submit an application to the Development Services Agency of Ohio for a revolving loan to be used specifically for Brownfield remediation of the property which will include options for post-remediation redevelopment.
“Thankfully we were able to take the building down a while ago, but the tanks are still there, so this loan application will clean up the hazardous tanks on the property,” Haire said.
According to Haire, the work is expected to be completed by this summer.
“I don’t know exactly how long it will take or how much soil will need to be removed but they have that figured out,” Haire said.
” The COCIC is a Franklin County controlled agency that will head this up and once it is done we’ll have legislation before the Old Town Committee to get the property back,” Haire said.
City Councilwoman Bobbie Mershon said the issue goes back to when she originally served on CW Village Council in 1990.
“This was the very first issue in 1990 when I was elected that we said we were going to solve,” Mershon said. “I can’t believe it’s been this long.”
Haire agreed.
“This has been a long time coming, I know that the COCIC has been working on it for at least 8 years now,” Haire said.
Council unanimously passed the resolution to authorize the project at its Jan. 22 meeting.
Once remediation has been completed, the resolution passed by council for the project says the land will be redeveloped as mixed commercial and retail space or possible green space.
The next scheduled city council meeting is 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, in the CW Town Hall, 10 N. High St.