SOMERS POINT — The Economic Development Advisory Commission is working to facilitate remediation of a former gas station property and City Council agreed Sept. 25 to seek qualifications for a professional to review documents linked to the site.
The 1,265-square-foot property, at the corner of Route 9 and Somers Point-Mays Landing Road, is owned by Tim Wallace and has not operated for more than a decade.
Councilman Kirk Gerety previously told the Sentinel that the gas station was a “vibrant business” for many years, possibly suffering for closure of the Beesleys Point Bridge, and is now underutilized.
He said Wallace, whose family owns The Crab Trap restaurant, Pier 4 Hotel and Wallace Trucking, took over the business in 1976. He called it “one of the places where we all got gas and hung out. It was a pretty good social stop.”
Gerety reported to City Council on Sept. 25 that EDAC was seeking a grant to hire a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) but learned they are available only for city-owned properties.
However, EDAC “decided it might be a good investment” to spend about $4,000 for a professional to review all of the Department of Environmental Protection documents related to contamination and advise it on next steps.
“We think there is a future for that brownfields site,” Gerety said.
He said EDAC was told at the beginning of the year to pick one property and concentrate on improving it.
“They are making leaps and bounds on this property but now they have come to a stumbling block, and this is what they feel, and I concur with them, is to get to the next step,” he said.
City Administrator Jason Frost said the city could simply hire someone to do the work since the cost is below the bid threshold but suggested using a more formal process of a Request for Qualifications to “see what other professionals might be out there to evaluate it.” He said that process would take about 20 days.
Councilwoman Janice Johnston said Wallace has done extensive studies and asked whether EDAC could see the documentation.
“We have the results. We actually physically have the paperwork,” Gerety said, adding that EDAC wants an LSRP to review it and explain it.
“We want a professional to look at it — we have a lot of questions that were asked — and to see if there is anything that we can do as a municipality to help that property owner and move that along,” Gerety said.
Johnston said she spoke with city planner Jim Rutala last year about grant money available for municipalities to purchase contaminated sites.
“They look at the results of the environmental studies and whether or not you qualify,” she said. “So maybe you might want to do that first before we spend $4,000.”
Gerety said EDAC wants to spend the money to determine whether “this is a property that possibly could be a good investment for the city.”
“It’s more of an information gathering to see what our next step is,” he said. “We’re looking as far as maybe being able to do something with the property so it’s not an abandoned building with a chain-link fence.”
Councilman Sean McGuigan noted City Council could get quotes on the cost and make a decision based on that information.
Councilman Howard Dill asked if the LSRP would be able to advise City Council on the availability of grants.
Johnston suggested speaking with Rutala to see what he knows, and City Council President Charlie Haberkorn agreed that was a good idea.
– STORY and PHOTO by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff