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Delaware County Land Bank approves $3,075 insurance invoice and submits Brownfield application for Delaware City site
Summary
At a Feb. 18 special meeting, the Delaware County Land Bank approved a $3,075 commercial liability invoice and voted to submit a Brownfield grant application for a property at 23 North in Delaware City; a separate Otterbein University site was deemed ineligible because of an Ohio EPA consent order.
The Delaware County Land Bank at a special meeting Feb. 18 approved a $3,075 invoice for commercial liability insurance and voted to submit a Brownfield grant application to pursue environmental assessment and limited demolition work at a property identified as OBES at 23 North in Delaware City.
The approvals came during a short meeting called to meet grant deadlines. Board members voted by voice to approve the SFM insurance invoice and, later, to approve submittal of the Brownfield application after hearing from the project applicant and consultant.
The Brownfield discussion opened with staff saying two late projects were submitted to the county’s environmental consultant for possible inclusion in the Department of Development Brownfield application due Feb. 19. The first — a proposed Otterbein University project at the former Kilgore manufacturing site on 600 North Springs Road in Westerville — was ruled ineligible because it is subject to a consent order from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Staff said the county would not pursue that site for the program.
Jeff Pates, with Phoenix and Barnell, described the second project, at 23 North in Delaware City. Pates said the property housed a retail store in the 1960s and later an auto filling station that operated under the name Obi’s Deli Market. The commercial operations closed in the 2000s, leaving structures vacant; the applicant has owned the property since 2005, Pates said. He summarized cleanup steps the grant would fund, including locating utilities and any monitoring wells that may have been paved over, identifying a suspected drinking-water well, asbestos abatement in two structures, demolition of a residential building on the parcel and removal of the drinking-water and monitoring wells.
Ted Hill, who identified himself as the property owner, said the applicant has completed some cleanup steps already, including removing underground storage tanks and obtaining a “no further action” finding on that issue. Hill said he discussed the application with Commissioner Benton, who indicated he would support the application "as long as we had our paperwork in in order, which we do." Hill and Pates provided the board with an estimated project cost; the transcript’s figures were unclear, and the applicant described the cost and matching contribution as approximate and as provided by the project consultant at the meeting.
Board members and staff noted the Brownfield application requires a letter of support from the municipality or township. Staff advised the applicants that, to meet the deadline, an email from a city or council representative indicating support could be submitted with the application, with the formal ordinance or resolution to follow later. The board unanimously approved a motion to submit the application for the Delaware City property.
On the insurance item, the board approved an invoice from SFM Insurance for $3,075 to cover commercial liability insurance.
No other substantive items were addressed at the meeting. Staff said they would provide the applicant with a sample resolution and follow up to collect the municipality’s written confirmation of support for the Brownfield application.
