By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – Borough Council members are taking action to have a vacant property cleaned of contamination and redeveloped as a small park.
On April 17, council members passed a resolution authorizing a remedial investigation of and action on the Colaner property, a half-acre parcel on Throckmorton Street between West Main and South streets in Freehold Borough.
As previously reported by the News Transcript, the Colaner property was once the location of a radiator repair shop and is now an empty lot. The parcel was abandoned after its owner died and the owner’s family did not claim responsibility or ownership of the land.
According to the resolution, the investigation and action will be conducted by Brinkerhoff Environmental Services, a licensed site remediation professional.
Brinkerhoff Environmental Services, according to the resolution, previously conducted a preliminary assessment and site investigation of the property and found multiple underground storage tanks and petroleum contamination.
According to council President George Schnurr, an underground gasoline storage tank leaked and the contaminants found in the soil were consistent with the leak. The contaminants included benzene, toluene and xylene.
The estimated cost of the remedial investigation and action will be $177,230, according to the resolution.
Prior to authorizing the licensed site remediation professional’s services, the council passed a resolution accepting a $144,059 grant from the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF) to cover the costs of the investigation and action.
The HDSRF is provided through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, according to the resolution accepting the grant.
As previously reported, the state will pay for 75 percent of the remediation costs if a site will be used for recreation or conservation. The purpose of applying to the HDSRF is to determine the extent of and remediate any hazardous substances or waste that may be present on the property.
The acceptance of the grant and the authorization of services follows the council’s 2016 passage of a resolution supporting the environmental remediation and subsequent redevelopment of the Colaner property.
According to that resolution, municipal officials intend to acquire the property for the purpose of redevelopment and are committed to redeveloping the parcel as a park. The resolution states that officials believe there is a realistic opportunity to redevelop the property within a three-year period.
“This property is in our downtown area and we can’t have it an abandoned and contaminated mess,” Schnurr said in 2016.
On April 17, Schnurr and council members Sharon Shutzer, Michael DiBenedetto, Kevin Kane and Ron Griffiths voted to accept the grant and authorize the licensed site remediation professional’s services. Councilman Jaye Sims was absent.
