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Vienna City Council: Spencer’s Landing will remain open

Photo by Jeffrey Saulton Vienna City Councilman Roger Conley makes his case for the closing of Spencer’s Landing Park during Thursday’s meeting of the Vienna City Council.

VIENNA — Spencer’s Landing will remain open to the public after a vote from the Vienna City Council during Thursday’s meeting.

In the council’s April 12 meeting Councilman Roger Conley asked that a resolution be placed on the agenda calling for the park to be closed. He said he was calling for the action because of concerns about hazardous material may be under what used to be the parking lot of the former Johns Manville site along River Road.

Council rejected the resolution to close the park on a 5 to 2 vote. Conley and Councilman Mike Elam voted to close the park while Councilmen Roger Bibbee, Bruce Rogers, Jim Leach, Recorder Cathy Smith and Mayor Randy Rapp voting to keep it open.

Conley said he spoke with state officials who told him on Wednesday they do not have a final report of what is on the site and there is no risk assessment or remediation action plan.

“There are issues and there are areas of concern that will require remediation,” he said. “Whether that is capping specific areas or whether that is capping the total area is as yet unknown.”

Photo by Jeffrey Saulton On Thursday the Vienna City Council voted to purchase this property at 612 29th St. for $80,000. City officials say it may be part of a site for a new city hall in the future or for additional parking near City Hall and the fire and police departments.

Conley said the depth of the capping is also unknown and at some depth he said a geo fabric will have to be installed; if it appears any time in the future, additional capping will be needed, he said.

“It is going to be a continual maintenance item and a continuing cost,” he said. “Obviously the amount of time required to complete this remediation action plan is as yet unknown and we still don’t know what we’ll have to do yet as is the case with the cost.”

Conley said no funds are available until July and there is only $75,000 left in the new budget for the project.

“Because of all of this, I do not see this being completed anytime soon,” he said. “That is why I believe at this time we need to limit the exposure.”

Leach said results of past and current tests on the site have been mischaracterized.

“Here is where we stand on Manville,” he said. “The only issue we have, there is a risk assessment complete. The issue in West Virginia we have either a residential standard or an industrial standard.”

In Ohio and Pennsylvania, Leach said, there is a third standard called recreational standard and Vienna is right on the edge of the residential standard.

“If the DEP or our license remediation specialist thought there was any hazard to the public continuing to use Spencer’s Landing, then they would impose that closure on the park,” he said. “Councilman Conley attempting to use authority based on his incomplete information is not something we can rely on and we should instead rely on the professionals who do this for a living and to protect us.”

Conley said what he was told was the state does not have an assessment or action plans and when they are received it will take 30 days for review.

Elam said the Triad report should be looked at and they need to take a position of better safe than sorry.

“Closing Spencer’s Landing, maybe it’s good and maybe it’s bad, we don’t know,” he said. “In keeping it opened we are setting ourselves up for a lawsuit down the road if there is something down there.”

Rapp said there is no need to close the park.

“I believe Mr. Conley is misinformed again,” Rapp said. “This past week the state was on site for another visit and I met with him. There was an anonymous complaint filed that there was asbestos coming out of the ground.”

Rapp said samples were taken and sent to a Charleston-area lab.

“It was analyzed and it was nothing, it was batting,” he said. “Running the red flag up that it is a dangerous situation is very disheartening because we have complied with everything the State of West Virginia has asked us to do in regard to Spencer’s Landing.”

Rapp said there are only two spots on the site exceeding the industrial standard.

“One is under the parking lot and that is capped and the other is in the wooded area next to Jimmy Harper Construction and it will be capped to whatever degree the DEP will require of us.

“Spencer’s Landing should not be closed,” Rapp said.

In other items:

* Council unanimously approved the appointment of Steve Black as the City of Vienna Parks and Recreation Director. Rapp said there were 15 applicants for the job that were narrowed down to three. Black is the former Vienna finance director and current Wood County Sheriff’s Chief Tax Deputy.

* Council approved the purchase of 612 29th St., across the street from City Hall, for $80,000.

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