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Public Works director says buried organic material forced in-house soil remediation at county facility
Summary
Public Works Director Jared told commissioners a geotechnical survey found buried organic material that requires undercutting and replacement; doing the civil work in-house is projected to cost roughly $100,000 versus contractor bids of about $600,000–$950,000, and staff expects to complete site remediation by mid‑August.
Public Works Director Jared updated the Camden County Board of Commissioners on plans for a new Public Works facility after geotechnical testing identified pockets of decaying timber and organic root matter below the planned grade.
Jared said the geotechnical team discovered a previously unaccounted-for three- to five-foot layer of organic material that must be undercut and replaced with compactable structural fill before a contractor can safely build. "We were informed that pockets of decaying timber and organic root matter were left approximately five feet below the grade," he said, and added the county created an addendum to the bid package to account for the civil work.
He told commissioners contractor bids for the remediation component ranged from about $600,000 to $950,000. "Public Works staff decided to move forward with the site remediation in-house to minimize the cost to the county," Jared said, and reported in-house expenditures so far are about $58,000 with the county estimating the remediation will come in at roughly $100,000 total.
Jared described the site's revised layout: the project will use about 11.2 acres of a 22-acre parcel with a centralized preengineered metal building, an administrative area of roughly 4,800 square feet and an 8,800-square-foot fleet maintenance shop. He said the plan includes a fueling island with unleaded, diesel and DEF dispensers; because existing underground tanks are old, the county intends to install above‑ground tanks to ease maintenance and regulatory compliance.
On permits and oversight, Jared said the county obtained an EPD land‑use permit in September 2023, renewed it in April 2025, and that the current permit expires July 31, 2028. He said Georgia EPD performed a courtesy inspection June 25, advised updates to site plans, and confirmed the site was in compliance with the permit at that inspection. "EPD advised that the current site plans will be updated with the additional BMPs installed and we're currently doing that with our civil engineer right now," he said.
During questions, commissioners asked whether borrow‑pit material would be used for backfill; Jared said the county will use material from its northern borrow pit and rent compacting equipment to place and proof‑roll fill. He estimated the civil remediation would take about 120 days and said the county hopes to return the project to a condition bidders can rely on by mid‑August, with an RFP for the building expected in September 2026 and an approximate one‑year build time after contracting.
At the public comment period, registered commenter Ricky Manning said he had documented recurring erosion and berm problems at the site and alleged runoff had reached the Still River. "The plumes going into the Still River — y'all sight was a mess to begin with," Manning said, and said residents had repeatedly reported similar problems. Jared responded in the meeting by citing EPD inspections and monthly online reporting, and said Public Works has been improving BMPs (best management practices) and submitting monitoring data through the Georgia EPD system.
What happens next: the county expects to finish in‑house civil remediation by mid‑August and update the site plans per EPD guidance; the board heard no motion to pause the project and commissioners moved on to other agenda items.
