Update: City Will Pay to Diagnose Problem at RB&W Site

The reclamation of the former RB&W property on Mogadore Road is going to cost the city if it wants to .

City officials have agreed to partner with the property's owner, Thomas & Betts Corp. of Memphis, TN, to conduct a "failure investigation" to find the cause of at the 18-acre site.

Both the city and Thomas & Betts have agreed to spend up to $75,000 each on the investigation, which is expected to cost a minimum of $125,000.

The investigation is part of the city's $1.5 million grant Brownfield Revitalization program to finish cleaning efforts at the property and redevelop it. The investigation will focus on an underground, clay slurry wall that surrounds about 2 acres at the southern end of the property where former open-air oil lagoons were used by former businesses there.

Officials involved in the project, including at the Ohio EPA and the property owner's environmental consultant, Mentor-based Hzw Environmental Consultants, have suspected the slurry wall for months to be the cause of the contaminant increase.

Matt Knecht, president of Mentor-based HzW, said the failure investigation of the slurry wall will focus on three possible causes. Knecht said the investigation will determine: if the wall itself is leaking where an underground sanitary sewer line crosses through the 2-acre area; if an artificial cap covering the contaminated acreage is allowing water in or out; or if the wall wasn't built deep enough during its installation in 2005 to link up with an existing clay base below the contaminated soil.

"What we’re going to do is probably put some borings, some wells inside the containment area to see if we have hydraulic control," Knecht said. "We won’t be digging up the wall. We might be repairing it, but that won’t happen until we’ve finished the failure investigation."

The city's agreement with Thomas & Betts to buy the land for $1 hinges on determining the cause of the chemical leaching — and repairing it, because the Clean Ohio Fund grant money likely won't be awarded if the city and Thomas & Betts can't find the cause of the chemical leaching.

Kent Economic Development Director Dan Smith said the city's share of the failure investigation cost is worth the price if the effort brings the land closer to being redeveloped as part of the .

In a letter to state officials, Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said the effort to redevelop the property has the full support of city administrators and Kent City Council.

"They strongly believe this effort should remain a priority as it is the best opportunity to put the site back in viable use," Ruller wrote. "We are genuinely excited about the new job opportunities this investment will bring, especially in conjunction with Kent State University and our current downtown revitalization project just a few blocks away."

Smith said he is traveling to Columbus with Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala Friday to meet with officials from the Clean Ohio Fund to learn if the city will be awarded the grant request.