St. John brownsfield

ST. JOHN — The city is teaming up with the Port of Whitman County and the Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics to assess a property for future use of a medical clinic.

During the Monday, Oct. 14 City Council meeting several guest attendees gathered for a presentation by Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering Consultants Haley and Aldrich, Inc., representative and Geologist-Environmental Scientist Ward McDonald, to discuss the potential clinic site.

Guest attendees were Port of Whitman County Executive Director Kara Riebold, Port Commissioner Tom Kammerzell and Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics CEO Hank Hanigan.

Riebold started introductions stating they are in the due diligence period of the project and came to share with the council and community more about the project and get community feedback.

Located near the corner of Front Street and South Main Street in front of the St. John Inn, McDonald said the site was not visible on a map.

“I’ve been doing this for fourteen years, and this is the first time I’ve not had something pop up on a database,” McDonald said. “I had to come into local knowledge and figure this stuff out. I appreciate it.”

With the help of the St. John City Council and the St. John Heritage Museum, the firm was able to obtain information of potential contamination.

The site, previously a retail service station, operated from 1946 to the mid to late 1970s, the museum was able to provide them with historical aerial images showing the retail service station in operation in 1953.

McDonald thanked St. John City Mayor Mike Webb and Clerk Shani Hergert for the use of the records, adding that being able to talk to the community has been helpful.

“It’s helpful to see your guys’ passion for this project,” said McDonald, addressing community member Penny Hinds.

McDonald said this is the initial investment, using federal money to get to the point they can start to improve the property.

The Port’s $500,000 EPA Brownsfield Community-Wide Assessment Grant is helping fund Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments.

Following the grant implementation, the hospital has designated the fund to likely pay for the majority of construction of the proposed St. John clinic.

“We plan on being here a very long time and we want to do it in a way that’s complimentary to the existing field, the culture of the town and honestly the port’s presence in this kind of changes everything for us,” said Hanigan, adding they initially looked into the site in 2021.

McDonald said the next steps in the process would be a public meeting to review the draft grant application and Analysis of Brownsfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) at the Nov. 7 Port Commission Meeting and will submit the grant application on or before Nov. 14.

Several community members were in attendance, including Dimitar Andreeva, Clancy Pool, Marie Kelch Hinds and Linda Hayes.

A brownsfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse which may be complicated due to the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.

“We’re really looking forward to this project going through, the City Council and community members,” Hergert said.