City seeks wetlands permit for school site
The city has applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a permit to fill some wetlands at the site of the planned high school at Dimond Park next to the Mendenhall River.
The area, which includes Riverbend Elementary School and softball fields, was the site of a former gravel-mining, construction and asphalt-production business in the 1970s and 1980s.
The city bought the property in 1985 and found oil and asphalt contaminants and construction debris in the ground when it built Riverbend in 1996. Since then, that part of the area has been cleared of contaminants, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.
The groundwater at the site has been studied at selected spots, and low levels of diesel contamination were found in one monitoring well. But the DEC said the impacts don't appear to extend off the site.
Based on aerial photos and historical research, it doesn't look as if the proposed high school site was the location of industrial activity, said Bill Janes, an environmental specialist at DEC. But he said problems could turn up when the land is excavated.
Much of the school building will be built in an area that's heavily forested and isn't likely to have contaminants in the soil. But the parking lots and sports field will be on land that is largely cleared.
If the Corps of Engineers' environmental review for the permit shows a potential problem with contaminants, it will discuss with the city how to correct it, said Susan Hitchcock, a wetlands specialist with the Corps. The agency monitors projects for compliance with their permits, she added.
The city is seeking a permit to place about 45,500 cubic yards of fill in a half-acre pond near Riverside Drive, a 2.8-acre shrubby wetland near the Mendenhall River for the athletic field, and a small spot near the river for a stormwater outfall line.
As part of the Corps of Engineer's permit process, the state DEC also will examine the proposed work for compliance with the federal Clean Water Act, and the state Department of Natural Resources will decide whether the project meets rules for coastal zones.
DNR's deadline for the public or agencies to ask for more information about the project is Dec. 12. Its deadline for comments is Dec. 17, to be sent to the Alaska Coastal Management Program, 302 Gold St., Suite 202, Juneau AK 99801.
The Corps is accepting public comments on the project through Dec. 23 at 8800 Glacier Highway, Suite 106B, Juneau AK 99801. Its decision could come by the end of January, Hitchcock said.
The city and school district officials planning the school want to put its construction work out to bid in spring 2004, with work to begin that summer and end before school starts in fall 2006.
The 218,700-square-foot school will accommodate about 1,070 students. It will have one sports field, with a running track around it, and parking for staff, visitors and students.
The project has a budget of about $63 million. City taxpayers have authorized bonds to pay for the project, and the state is expected to reimburse 60 percent of the cost, including the bonds' principal and interest.
• Eric Fry can be reached at efry@juneauempire.com.