Officials: EPA brownfields grant will fund Phase 2 soil testing at Acme site; FEMA BRIC application progressing

City and regional planning representatives told the board that Phase 2 environmental sampling at the former Acme property is funded through a Wapiti (Western Arkansas Planning and Development District) EPA brownfields grant and that a consultant (Terracon) is preparing a quality assurance plan that will be sent to EPA this week.

Tracy McKenna, Wapiti’s director of community and economic development, said Terracon’s Phase 1 work indicated additional testing was needed and that the Phase 2 QAPP should arrive for EPA review within weeks; she said that Phase 2 sampling will be conducted at no cost to the city under the brownfields grant. The consent agenda also included a resolution authorizing the city to participate in a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant application to fund stormwater mitigation at the former Acme property.

During public comment, Eric Weidman and others urged that the Phase 1 ESA be supplemented with Phase 2 sampling (soil, sediment, water) prior to any significant ground disturbance; McKenna confirmed that Wapiti’s Terracon assessment did indicate further testing and that the agency is working through the EPA approval steps to start Phase 2. The city said the BRIC grant application process is ongoing and that related design and easement work remain on track.