Environmental issues raised at W-B building

WILKES-BARRE – Air quality test results over the next few days could determine if a new building constructed to house King’s College students, offices and a day care facility can open.

Citing two concerns, the state Department of Environmental Protection has recommended the city not issue an occupancy permit for Gateway Corners, the new building at the corner of North Main and North streets.

However, a temporary occupancy certificate was issued before the city was made aware of DEP’s concerns. Some King’s students are already living in the building and more are scheduled to move in this weekend. A day care center is scheduled to open there in September.

According to DEP spokesman Mark Carmon, the two concerns are sewage backing up into neighboring homes along Meyers Court and potential vapor intrusion in the building caused by old petroleum and dry cleaning storage tanks that have been removed from the site. The building sits on land once occupied by the former Mary MacIntosh Dry Cleaning.

He said DEP is testing the air in the building. He said because the building uses recirculated air, it must meet standards.

Carmon said the air in the building could be harmless and there would be no need for further action by DEP.

“This could have been avoided if they had looked at the sewage issues earlier,” he said. “We realize that there is concern now because school is about to start. But the issues remain and need to be addressed. They have to fix the sewer overflow and we need to see the soil samplings and determine of there is any potential for vapor intrusion.”

Butch Frati, city director of public works, said a temporary permit was issued to allow furniture to be moved in. “We will be at the site Wednesday morning (today) to meet with DEP. If DEP suggests we pull the occupancy permit, we will do that,” Frati said.

But Dave Selingo of Kinship Square, the group that purchased the site and selected the Radnor Group to develop it, said tests have been done on the air inside the building and it is safe.

“There are no vapors going into that building,” Selingo said. “We have the test results and DEP is aware of the results.”

Lisa Marie McCauley, King’s College vice president for business affairs and treasurer, issued a written statement Tuesday stating the college was surprised by the late afternoon notification of DEP’s concern about Gateway Corners’ indoor air quality.

“The project developer, Radnor Property Group, through their environmental experts, assure us that the results of all environmental studies conducted indicate that site conditions do not impact the indoor air quality of the building.”

Dave Yeager, managing partner for the Radnor Group, said he would have his environmental consultants at the site today to look into the concerns raised by DEP. He said there are no health risks regarding the air in the building.

“Our consultants have told us that all of the test results show that there is no environmental risk in regard to the air in the building,” Yeager said.

Selingo said there were underground storage tanks on the site – 13 of them – and DEP conducted a site closure in 1995. He said the site was determined by DEP to be safe, and based on that finding, Kinship Square purchased the property. The Mary MacIntosh building and two others on the site were demolished last September and Selingo said another storage tank was discovered. He said with the aid of state funding, Kinship Square had the tank and surrounding soil removed and disposed of properly with DEP’s approval.

Selingo said DEP gave them the go-ahead to resume the project and the site was again tested before the building’s foundation was done. Selingo said the site was approved and the building as constructed.

Carmon said DEP wants to be sure the building and site are safe. “We stand by our recommendation,” he said.

Selingo said the sewage problem will be resolved soon. He said bids have been advertised to redirect the storm water from the pipe on Meyers Court to go directly to Jackson Street.

Jim Straub owner of properties on Meyers Court, has said some of his buildings had sewage backing up into basements when it rains.

“What’s going to happen when they start flushing the toilets in that building?” he asked.