The Highland County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) approved a bid from Thompson Petroleum Services for the Rocky Fork Truck Stop Brownfield remediation for a total of $78,000 during a Monday morning meeting.

The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) provided a description of the project, which reads “Utilized as a truck stop and gas station since 1990, operations on this site ceased in 2016. The property is in poor condition and its location between two state parks make it a blight to the local community. Remediation on the site includes the removal of the oil tanks on the property. After cleanup, the county plans to construct a retail market and parking lot on the site.”

Matt Wagner, the certified professional from Tetra Tech working with the land bank, supplied documentation with the full details of Thompson’s bid, which are as follows:

* Mobilization and insurance – A unit price of $1, with an estimated quantity of one for a total price of $1,000.

* Install erosion control – A unit price of $1, with an estimated quantity of one for a total price of $500.

* The demolition of two structures, footers, canopy and shed – A unit price of $1, with an estimated quantity of one for a total price of $10,000.

* Recycle concrete – A unit price of $1, with an estimated quantity of 6,400, with the total price of this being added to the “provide clean fill” line item.

* The removal of four USTs and one AST 5 dispenser – A unit price of $1, with an estimated quantity of one for a total price of $26,000.

* Excavation, hauling and disposal of non-hazardous soil – A unit price of $35, with an estimated quantity of 500 for a total price of $17,500.

* Provide clean fill – A unit price of $10, with an estimated quantity of 500 for a total price of $5,000.

* Excavation, transportation and compact fill – A unit price of $10, with an estimated quantity of 500 for a total price of $5,000.

* The purchase of backfill 304 three to four inches – A unit price of $25, with an estimated quantity of 200 for a total price of $5,000.

* Dewatering – A unit price of $1.33, with an estimated quantity of 6,000 for a total price of $8,000.

Wagner said the original apparent low bidder was Mound Waste Recycling, but the company did not fully complete its bid forms, even after questions from him to finish the forms, leading to Thompson Petroleum Services becoming the most complete and lowest bid.

“So, that turns Thompson, who is a reputable tank removal company, at $78,000, so they would, in essence, to me, they’re the lowest, the most complete, bid for that. Having worked with them before, I know that they can do the job and get it done effectively and in a timely manner… They do a good job,” Wagner said. “And they provide a lot of additional documentation as well.”

Wagner said there are two phases to the Rocky Fork Truck Stop remediation project. He said the first, which is the part Thompson had its bid approved for, includes the removal and pull of the storage tanks, associated piping, dispensers and the contaminated soil they know is already there, after which the holes would be filled with clean hard fill. Following that, he said work would be done to create a scope about how much of the actual soil needs to be disposed of.

Wagner said the next phase of the project would be the groundwater cleanup. He said an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency grant was received to do offsite work, which is where they would install monitoring wells on the adjacent property and to the north to see if the plume could be delineated. He also said they need to create a remedial action plan to treat the groundwater and figure out how to get it remedied, and to not dig up the entire site.

“As you expect with a project like this, you’re gonna get bids all over, and a lot of that has to do with, just, everybody looks at these sites a little differently, but ultimately, this is a buster tank removal, and so therefore, you know, you have to have licensed staff,” Wagner said. “You have to be certified. You know, we are dealing with petroleum, which is flammable, and so you always have to be concerned with regards to that aspect of it for when those tanks come out of the ground.”

Wagner said the ODOD would likely allow for extensions on the project due to how the roll out of the Brownfield grant was slower than the organization anticipated, saying that Highland County has time to get the project done.

The next meeting of the land bank is scheduled to be on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2022, at 9 a.m.

Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.