[00:00:02]
          GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS IS THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE PARKS AND SUSTAINABLE 
          [Call to Order]
COMMITTEE. I'M COUNCILWOMAN FOWLER, THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE. I'M JOINED BY MY VICE 
          [Roll Call]
CHAIR, MARILYN PARKER, IN CHAMBERS, WE HAVE COUNCILMAN BASSAN, COUNCILMAN, HUDSON ON, ONLINE. WE HAVE COUNCILMAN MULVAHILL, COUNCILMAN ARTHUR, AND WE HAVE A QUORUM, MY APOLOGIES. I HIT TRAFFIC COMING DOWN AND MADE ME LATE. YES OH. I'M SORRY. AND THERE IS COUNCILMAN SAM, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, WE HAVE ONE ITEM ON THE COMMITTEE ON THE AGENDA 
          [1.
 R-058-24     A RESOLUTION PURSUANT TO THE CAPITAL AND OPERATING BUDGET ORDINANCES APPROVING THE APPROPRIATION TO FUND THE FOLLOWING NONCOMPETITIVELY NEGOTIATED PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT FOR METRO PARKS FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF A DRUM SITE LOCATED IN THE JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FOREST – SHIELD ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATES, INC. ($68,000.00).
Action Required By:  December 2024
Sponsors: Dan Seum, Jr. (R-13) ]
TODAY, AND IT CONCERNS, THE CONTAMINATION AT, THE, JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FOREST. AND I'M ASSUMING WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM PARKS HERE TO SPEAK ON THAT. SO THIS IS, OUR DASH 058-2 FOR A RESOLUTION PURSUANT TO THE CAPITAL AND OPERATING BUDGET ORDINANCE APPROVING THE APPROPRIATION TO FUND THE FOLLOWING NON COMPETITIVELY NEGOTIATED PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT FOR METRO PARKS FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF A DRUM SITE LOCATED IN THE JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FOREST SHIELD ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED $68,000, DO I HAVE A MOTION? PROPERLY MOVED AND SECONDED IS BEFORE US AND. I THINK, MISS MISTER CANTWELL FROM PARKS IS WITH US. IF YOU'LL IDENTIFY YOURSELF, PLEASE. SURE MY NAME IS JASON CANTWELL, THE DIRECTOR AT LOUISVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION, THE ORDINANCE YOU HAVE HERE, IN FRONT OF YOU, IS FOR US TO HIRE SHIELD ENVIRONMENTAL, TO REALLY FINISH SOME REPORTING THAT THEY STARTED BACK IN 29, 2009, 2010, 2011, THE REASON WE'RE GOING THIS ROUTE JUST DUE TO PROCUREMENT LAWS, AND PROCUREMENT POLICIES HERE AT METRO, THEY HAVE ALREADY GOT THE MAJORITY OF THE REPORT DONE, AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, IN 2011, THE REPORT WAS STOPPED AND NEVER FINISHED. SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET THEM TO FINISH CHARACTERIZING, THE SITE IN JEFFERSON MEMORIAL FOREST. SO, AND SO THE GROUNDWATER. CAN YOU EXPLAIN? EXPLAIN THE TOPOGRAPHY AND WHERE THE VALUE OF THE DRUMS IS LOCATED, WAS LOCATED COMPARED TO THE GULLY OF THE DRUMS? SURE. SO THE I BELIEVE IT WAS AN OFFICIAL SUPERFUND SITE. THE, THE VALLEY OF THE DRUMS WAS JUST SOUTH OF THE JEFFERSON COUNTY BULLOCK COUNTY LINE IN IN BULLOCK COUNTY, THE SITE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY DEALING WITH IS JUST NORTH OF THAT, IN ON THE JEFFERSON COUNTY SIDE OF THE LINE. AND SO CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG WHEN, SOMEONE DONATED THIS LAND TO METRO AND WE WERE UNAWARE. I MEAN, DO YOU KNOW WHEN THAT DONATION HAPPENED, 1988, I BELIEVE. IS THE DATE ON THE DEED. OKAY AND IT WAS DONATED TO THE COUNTY AT THAT POINT IN TIME. YEAH, AND THE COUNTY ACCEPTED THE PROPERTY. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY KNEW OR DID NOT KNOW THE CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY WHEN IT WAS ACCEPTED. OKAY. AND CAN CAN YOU TELL THE COMMITTEE, WHAT SHIELDS HAS FOUND SO FAR FOR, IN THE 2009, 2010 WORK THAT THEY DID, I DON'T HAVE THE REPORT FROM ME. I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT IT, BUT, THERE ARE SOME VISIBLE, DRUM CARCASSES, SOME CHEMICAL TUBES THAT WERE VISIBLY ON TOP OF THE GROUND, PART OF WHAT? SHIELD IS, IS GOING TO INVESTIGATE IS WHAT WHAT'S UNDER THE GROUND? SO TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THERE'S ANYTHING BURIED IN THE EXTENTS OF ANYTHING THAT'S BURIED IN THINGS THAT WE CAN'T SEE ON THE SURFACE. OKAY IN THE STATE WAS THE ONE WHO STOPPED THE WORK. OR DO YOU KNOW, THE BACK IN THE EARLY 2000, THERE WAS THE STATE, SUPERFUND BRANCH THAT WAS THAT HIRED SHIELD TO DO THE REPORTING. AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY THE REPORTING WAS STOPPED. NOBODY KNOWS, SO WHAT ABOUT THE GROUNDWATER? WHAT WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE GROUNDWATER BACK THEN? AND WAS THAT TESTED, IT WAS THERE WAS I DON'T KNOW, 3 OR 4 MONITORING WELLS THAT WERE DRILLED, TRYING AND TRYING TO TAKE SAMPLES OF THE GROUNDWATER. 
          AND I THINK THREE OF THE WELLS WERE WERE DRY. THEY COULDN'T GET WATER, AND ONLY ONE WELL ACTUALLY PRODUCED WATER TO BE SAMPLED. OKAY. SO IS THERE, IS THERE A STREAM OR ANY TYPE OF CREEK THAT RUNS CLOSE BY THAT AT ALL? OR THERE'S A DRAW AND I, I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW THE 
          [00:05:07]
PROXIMITY OF THE ACTUAL DRAW. I THINK IT'S AN INTERMITTENT STREAM. IT'S NOT A BLUE LINE, BUT I BELIEVE, I DON'T KNOW THE DISTANCE AWAY, BUT THERE WERE SEDIMENT SAMPLES TAKEN FROM, THE, THE STREAM AREA, BUT AGAIN, I DIDN'T BRING THE REPORT. I DON'T HAVE THE. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH ANY OF THOSE SAMPLES? I I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT. I DON'T. 
          OKAY, OKAY. LET ME SEE WHO I'VE GOT, ANYBODY IN THE QUEUE? NOBODY. OH, COUNCILMAN. SAM THANK YOU. CHAIR, DID A LITTLE RESEARCH, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY A COUPLE THINGS AND GET THEM INTO THE RECORD, THAT I HAD FOUND OUT, IN THE VALLEY OF THE DRUMS CLEANUP IN 79 BY FEDERAL AND STATE AUTHORITIES LEFT THE NEARBY GULLY OF DRUMS. AND IF I'M WRONG ABOUT ANYTHING, MR. CANTWELL, IF YOU CORRECT ME, I'D APPRECIATE IT, CONGRESS PASSED THE SUPERFUND ACT IN 1980 TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF CLEANING UP THE VALLEY OF DRUMS, THE VALLEY OF DRUMS TOOK PLACE FROM 1983 TO 1990. HAZARDOUS WASTE. PREVIOUSLY, PREVIOUSLY FOUND INCLUDED HEAVY METALS AND 140 OTHER CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES. THE SITE SITS 700FT FROM THE VALLEY OF THE DRUMS, WHICH INCLUDED 1751 BARRELS DISCOVERED IN 79. THE BARRELS DATE BACK TO 1960S FROM THE CLEANUP 11,628 DRUMS WERE EMPTY. IN 2011. SHIELD ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOUND THE DRUMS AND OTHER CONTAINERS ALONG A PATH JUST ACROSS THE BULLITT COUNTY LINE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. THERE WAS NO IMPACT ON GROUND OR SURFACE WATER, AND THAT'S PER KENTUCKY ENERGY AND CABINET. IN 2011 AND IN 2016, STATE ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORS STATED THE GULLY OF THE DRUMS IS AN IMMINENT THREAT TO HUMAN HEALTH. 
          GULLEIV DRUMS CURRENTLY HAS 40 TO 45 PRESENT DRUMS. CURRENTLY, THE CURRENT SITUATION WE NEED $68,000 PLAN TO ALLOW SHIELD ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES TO DIG TRENCHES AND TAKE SOIL SAMPLES AT GULLY OF THE DRUMS TO UNVEIL IF HAZARDOUS WASTE REMAINS. SOME OF THE BARRELS MAY BE UNDERGROUND, LEADING TO SIGNIFICANT COSTS TO HAVE THEM FULLY REMOVED. AND, WE'RE PUTTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO THIS PARK, WE WANT TOTAL TRANSPARENCY. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S THERE. WE WANT OUR OUR OUR PEOPLE THAT COME INTO THE PARK TO FEEL SAFE AND COMFORTABLE. ONE OF THE THINGS I DO KNOW IS THIS IS NOT ON A ON A TRAIL PATH. IT'S NOT ACCESSED, THAT'S THAT'S ONE THING I WANT THE FOLKS TO KNOW. AND WHEN THEY DID THE STUDY, I WANT TO REITERATE THAT THERE THERE WAS NO IMPACT ON GROUND AND SURFACE WATER. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S THE CASE. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN GET THIS RESOLUTION PASSED WITH THE $68,000 TO GET THIS DONE AND UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE THE REPORT COMES IN, IMMEDIATELY, IMMEDIATELY AFTER WILL BE CLEANED UP AND FUNDING WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THAT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YES, SO DO YOU. THAT LAST PART, IS THAT A PROMISE FROM THE STATE, OR FEDERAL? HOW'S THAT WORK? IF YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, YOU MAY NOT KNOW. I DON'T KNOW, BUT I, I DO KNOW THAT WE'LL WE'LL COME UP WITH THE MONEY TO FIX THIS, TO CLEAN IT. AND HOWEVER WE DO THAT, YOU MAY KNOW BETTER THAN I DO, MR. CHAIR, HOW WE'LL COME ACROSS THAT MONEY. BUT IT WILL HAPPEN. 
          SO TELL ME, DID YOU SAY 11,000 DRUMS WERE EMPTIED? THAT THEY HAD. YES YES, MR. CHAIR, THEY ARE THERE. IT INCLUDED 17,051 BARRELS WERE DISCOVERED IN 79. AND THOSE THAT THE BARRELS DATED BACK TO 60. AND FROM THE CLEANUP, 11,628 DRUMS WERE EMPTY . SO I WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BALANCE OF THAT. WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THEY WHEN THEY DID THE, THE STUDY ON THE GROUND AND SURFACE WATER, THAT THERE WAS NO IMPACT. SO I'M HOPING THAT'S THE CASE WHEN WE DO THIS STUDY. OKAY. IT'D BE INTERESTING TO HAVE SOME SOME PICTURES OF WHAT THOSE CONTAINERS ARE ON TOP OF THE GROUND. LOOK LIKE. IS THERE ANYTHING LIKE THAT AROUND JASON? I MEAN, IT'S IRRELEVANT. WE'VE GOT TO, YOU KNOW, APPROVE THIS IN MY OPINION. SURE WE'VE GOT 
          [00:10:01]
SOME SOME PICTURES AND A REPORT I'LL BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU KIND OF OUTLINES THE HISTORY. OKAY BE HAPPY TO SEND THAT TO YOU. I'LL SEND THAT TO YOU IF YOU COULD. THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. AND I'LL PASS IT ON TO THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE. LET'S SEE. CAN JEFF COUNCILMAN HAD SENT. SO MR. KENWOOD, DID YOU HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS OR COMMENTS ON WHAT COUNCILMAN SAM, JUST READ OUT. 
          NO, SIR. OKAY, SO NOW I'M CONFUSED BECAUSE WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY WAS THAT THE 68,000 WAS TO FINISH UP A REPORT, BUT WHAT I HEARD COUNCILMAN SAM SAY IS THE 68,000 WAS TO DO ADDITIONAL CLEANUP AND INVESTIGATION. EVEN THOUGH THE CLEANUPS DON'T COME AFTER THE. THEY HAVE TO CHARACTERIZE THE SITE AND DETERMINE HOW MANY BARRELS WERE DEALING WITH AND WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH BEFORE THEY COME UP WITH A MITIGATION STRATEGY, WHICH WOULD BE THE CLEANUP. SO WE'RE STILL IN THE INVESTIGATION SITE CHARACTERIZATION STAGE. MAYBE I'VE USED THE WRONG WORDS TO CHARACTERIZE COUNCILMAN SAM'S COMMENTS, BUT TO ME, FINISHING UP A REPORT IS JUST COLLECTING WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND DOCUMENTING IT. BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S GOING TO BE SOIL SAMPLING AND IS SO IS SOIL SAMPLING AND ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION. YOUR IDEA OF FINISHING UP A REPORT? YES. OKAY. THAT'S CORRECT. PEACE. THANK YOU, ARE THERE ANY OTHER ANYBODY ONLINE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NOPE. OKAY COUNCILMAN SAM, ANYTHING ELSE? NO, MADAM CHAIR, THANK YOU, SO. SO THIS IS A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A, WE CAN JUST DO A VOICE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE, NO. BY, LIKE, SIGN, THIS WILL GO TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR FOR, AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL, APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU. AND, WITH THAT, WE 
          [Adjournment
Note: Agendas are followed at the discretion of the Chair. While an item may be listed, it does not mean all items will be heard and/or acted upon by the Committee.]
ARE ADJOURNED. MY
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.