Fresh off cleaning up the site, the City of Cranbrook is moving forward with environmental studies on the former Knights Hall property.
Council approved reallocating unused funds from the cleanup for the studies.
Council had previously approved $1.29 million, but the total cost came in at about $830,000.
City staff said there are five on-site areas of potential environmental concern.
“This additional budget allocation of $57,400 will allow preliminary testing with digging and drilling on the site to confirm the presence or absence of contamination,” said Curtis Penson, Manager of Engineering and Field Services for the City.
“The second part of this process, if contamination is found, is to complete a detailed on-site investigation with more significant testing and sampling so the City can confirm the extent of contamination and get a report with clear recommendations and a more accurate cost estimate.”
The city would then return to council to request funding to complete the cleanup, such as removing contaminated soil and any spilled oil.
“This important environmental work will help establish the property’s value and help to ensure that this property is project ready should the right development opportunity arise,” said Mayor Wayne Price.
The city expects to recover the money spent on cleanup through the future sale or lease of the property.
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