ASHLAND — Removing three decades-old storage tanks from the former Eagle gas station wasn’t enough, a state agency told Ashland officials recently.
“There’s more contaminated soil,” said Shane Kremser, the city’s engineer.
The city’s goal, since 2021, has been to clean up the site for future development and to possibly allow U.S. Postal Service customers and employees park there until something permanent is built there.
Before that happens, the city needs to obtain a green light from the state Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR), known as an NFA, or a document telling the city “no further action” is required.
BUSTR records show contractors removed three underground tanks in June. Two of those tanks had been in the ground since 1965; the other was installed in 1985.
Contractors were able to study the soil further and they found contamination. So Buckeye Elm Contracting will return to the site on Oct. 7 to remove the dirt, Kremser said. The work will cost $26,460 — an amount that will be covered by the grant the city received in 2021.
The city bought the small corner lot on West Liberty and Claremont Avenue in late 2019. In 2021, Ashland received a $250,000 grant, and the gas station’s fuel apparatuses were demolished by 2023.
The property has since been fenced off as contractors pursue a green light from BUSTR officials.
The house beside the former gas station is slated for demolition. The hold-up there has been a quibble over a shared garage. The garage, Kremser said, will not be part of the demolition.
A grant from the state will cover the cost of demolition.