Forest Park’s Village Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a change order to remove a pair of 5,000-gallon underground petroleum storage tanks that were discovered during the Altenheim property demolition.
The contract to remove the tanks does not include any possible soil testing or possible remediation.
Since April, Markham-based KLF Enterprises Inc has been demolishing the abandoned buildings on the village-owned portion of the historic Altenheim retirement community. The company is subcontracting the tank removal work to RW Collins Co., a Chicago-based soil removal and remediation company, with Forest Park agreeing to pay $11,450 for the project. While the contract calls for removal of the tanks and safe disposal of the adjacent soil, it leaves the village on the hook for any environmental contamination that might happen in the process.
The contract calls for RW Collins Co. to remove the tanks and any related piping, as well as to dispose of the soil and any of the tanks’ contents. However, the contract also specifies that it won’t be responsible for soil testing and environmental consulting services, and that the village must hire a separate company to handle those aspects of the work. The company would also be responsible for responding to any contamination that may occur.
Under the terms of the contract, the village acknowledges that “there is a potential risk for a tank’s contents to be released into the soil and/or groundwater due to the tanks’ age and condition and the nature of the removal/drilling process.”
According to the contract, the work will begin once the site demolition on the lot is complete.
The village council approved the change order without any discussion.
