The deadline for comments on the cleanup of the Brownfields site in Port Orchard is August 14, but housing officials said they will continue to accept public input for several days afterwards.
“We want to give everyone who wants to comment a chance to do so,” said Project Director Casey Pleskun. “We will listen to what people have to say about this, even if it comes in after the deadline.”
The cleanup is being supervised by the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority (KCCHA), and supported by a $175,000 grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Grant funds will be used to remove contaminants such as oil, metal and arsenic that seeped into the ground located at 980 Mitchell Avenue.
This parcel was formerly a municipal/industrial and residential property, a Kitsap County Road District maintenance facility, Port Orchard Fire Department storage garage, and a former RV waste dump.
The contaminants were discovered during preparation for the construction of senior housing, which has just been completed.
There is between 700 and 900 cubic yards of contaminated soil at the site, according to official estimates. Pleskun said there was no indication that the contaminants had spread beyond the contained area.
There are no concrete plans to build anything on the site at this time, according to Pleskun.
The KCCHA will hold a public meeting from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m, on Aug. 25 at the Port Orchard Vista Senior Apartments located at 920 Mitchell Avenue (adjacent to project site) to discuss cleanup alternatives, process/steps the KCCHA has taken to arrive at the preferred cleanup alternative, and benefits to the community, habitat, and groundwater that the cleanup will provide.
Comments should be addressed to Pleskun by email to PleskunC@kccha.org or phone (360) 535- 6130 or Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes, project manager, by e-mail to grantsolutions@comcast.net or phone (360) 697-5815.
You may also send comments by mail to Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority (KCCHA), Attention: Casey Pleskun, 9307 Bayshore Drive NW, Silverdale, WA 98383.
