Troy committee recommends $350,000 amendment to finish cleanup at 206 South Market Street

The Community and Partnership Committee recommended that City Council authorize the Director of Public Service and Safety to enter into an amendment with Burgess and Neiple to finish remediation of petroleum-contaminated groundwater at 206 South Market Street.

The recommendation, presented at the committee meeting, seeks up to $350,000 in additional funding — grant money from the state’s brownfield remediation program — bringing the total agreement amount to $532,948. Committee Chair Susan Westfall opened the item and summarized the request.

A city staff member said Burgess and Neiple were awarded the initial contract in 2022 to complete investigation and early remediation work and that the state underground storage tank regulatory agency has requested additional work to secure a “no further action” (NFA) letter. “They want a no further action, which means this is the final cleanup and whatever demolition has to happen,” the staff member said.

An unidentified council member asked about the site’s history and whether the location was the former Duchess Service Station. The staff member confirmed tanks had been removed years earlier but residual contamination remained and additional monitoring on the east side of South Market prompted further work. The council member warned that older stations could leave future liability and suggested the city study whether a local funding mechanism could protect the city; staff replied that underground tank regulation and fee authority reside with the state and recommended discussing any legislative proposals with Representative Newman.

The committee recorded the motion to advance the recommendation to the full council. Two council members moved and seconded that the committee "move forward," and Chair Westfall said, “It's unanimous that we move forward.” No members of the public provided comment during the meeting.

If City Council approves the amendment, Burgess and Neiple would complete the remediation to achieve an NFA letter from the state regulator; the staff member described the work as final cleanup and any demolition required to secure the NFA. The meeting adjourned after the committee voted to forward the item.

Next steps: the committee forwarded the recommendation to City Council for final action; no date for council consideration was specified in the committee record.