St. Augustine officials
on Thursday celebrated the completion of the 10-month Sebastian
Inland Harbor cleanup.
At the same time, City Manager Bill Harriss added more good news
-- Vestcor Corp. is considering staying on the proposed $50 million
project.
Vestcor had announced March 8 that it was pulling out due to
difficulties in finding hotel financing.
Now, they will devise alternative plans for the site and bring
them back to the City Commission.
At the cleanup celebration, Mayor Mark Alexander stood in the
middle of the site's 14 acres and declared the property ready for
development.
"The old Atlanta Gas Light plant is gone," Alexander said. "(But)
before this land could be used, it had to be cleaned up and
restored, and we know a lot about restoration in St. Augustine."
Atlanta Gas paid $7 million for the cleanup, and the work was
done by The RETEC Group.
"The city could not have asked for two better partners to work
with as we cooperated to meet the high standards set by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency," Alexander said.
Mark Fite, remedial project manager for the EPA, presented
Alexander with a plaque commemorating the end of the cleanup and for
a "partnership in protecting public health and the environment."
Suzanne Sitherwood, vice president of engineering for Atlanta
Gas, said the manufactured gas plant thered in 1885 and closed
in the late 1950s.
But the soil and groundwater had become contaminated with toxic
hydrocarbon by-products down to 29 feet below the surface.
In the cleanup, 85,000 tons of contaminated soil and sediment
were removed, as well as 22 million gallons of water -- especially
difficult since the site experienced 30 inches of rain and a
tropical storm.
"The work took 55,000 man-hours, and the crews created a hole 30
feet deep and 100 feet wide," Sitherwood said. "Atlanta Gas Light
could not have done this alone. We appreciate the support we got
with this project."
The city now believes the way is clear to sell the site to a
developer who will build a marina, condos, apartments, a parking
garage, shops, office space and public areas.
Surrounding the property, one sees early 20th-century
architectural structures -- the three Florida East Coast Railway
towers built in 1923 and 1924 on Malaga Street, the Solla-Carcaba
Cigar Factory, built between 1907 and 1910, and the Ice Plant, built
between 1917 and 1924, both on Riberia Street.
Also standing out is the newly expanded and renovated San
Sebastian Winery at King and Malaga streets, built as a record
storage building for the railroad in 1923.
Vestcor was planning to match that architecture in its designs.
The company was set to sign a contract to pay $3.7 million for
the property, but decided it would not do so "at this time," its
letter to the city said.
Harriss and Assistant City Manager Jack Cubbedge talked to
Vestcor president Mark Farrell for two hours Wednesday.
"We encouraged them to look at it again," Harriss said. "It's
still a mixed-use project and doesn't have to be done as presented."
He said Vestcor pulled out because it believed the project was
"all or nothing," and if the hotel wasn't available, then they were
done.
Now they will come up with alternative plans for the site.
"We were happy," Harriss said. "They'd put the baton on the
table, but not on the floor. (If they decide not to participate),
we'll consider what we're going to do, and what our options are."
