An investigation for cleaning up the old Farmland site was qualified by the state to receive $50,000 grant Friday.

Monday, January 07, 2002

An investigation for cleaning up the old Farmland site was qualified by the state to receive $50,000 grant Friday. The city will use the money to determine the cost of restoring the possibly contaminated land for industrial, commercial or

residential use.

The grant is from the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development.

City Planner Bob Graham said the investigation would cover 56 acres, including the entire plant site and its adjacent land. The city hopes to calculate a precise cost for reviving the potentially contaminated land.

Development plans the city submitted for the grant application include a moderate commercial and industrial site with possible residential development. The projects would result in 240 new jobs and an increased tax base of $421,980.

The city has already initiated an environmental study.

SEH, Inc., a Twin Cities-based engineering company, has been working on testing samples taken from the site to determine the extent of any contamination related to asbestos, cutting oils or any hazardous chemicals used at the plant over the years.

The city’s preliminary cost estimation for the cleanup was about $5 million.

The city council adopted an offer to Farmland that the city will provide 32 acres of land in an industrial park and take over the old site if the company would maintain its operation in Albert Lea. But a condition that the cleanup cost the

city would incur should not exceed $5 million was attached to the resolution.

It is still uncertain whether Farmland will accept the deal. The company keeps saying it needs to wait for the resolution of negotiations regarding insurance proceeds.

The city has started pressing Farmland to make a decision about the Albert Lea operation by demanding the company demolish or renovate the damaged buildings on the site. A hearing is scheduled at the Jan. 14 city council meeting to discuss the issue. Farmland Foods President George Richter is expected to speak there.

The abandoned structures are hindering the city’s environmental study and containing potential safety threats, according to the city.