Councilman: Put Police Station on RB&W Site

Mogadore Road property to be considered as location for new safety building

City administrators will examine the feasibility of building a new police station for the Kent Police Department on the former RB&W brown field on Mogadore Road. Kent City Councilman John Kuhar made the suggestion at Wednesday's council meeting that city officials review the idea of using part of the close to 18 acre property for a new police building. "We would not be displacing anybody," Kuhar said. "We own it, so we would not have to buy the real estate, and it’s centrally located. The savings would be tremendous." City officials have been trying to determine how to replace the aging police station after voters denied a proposed 0.25 percent income tax hike, placed on the November ballot, that would have paid to build a new police …

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Second Entrance to Kramer Ball Fields up for Review

Councilman asks administration to look into crossing railroad tracks for second entrance to youth baseball fields

Kent youth baseball fans may get their wish — or at least part of it — to see a possible second entrance built for the Kramer Ball Fields. Kent City Councilman John Kuhar asked city administrators to review the possibility of building a second entrance to the ball fields, which are cut off from Fred Fuller Park and isolated by the Cuyahoga River and the CSX Transportation railroad tracks. The only entrance to the ball fields, the Redmond Bridge, is closed until it can be replaced in 2013. Because of the bridge closure, the fields have been rendered useless. Kuhar suggested simply cutting across the railroad tracks with an at-grade gravel road from the former RB&W property, which the city has agreed to buy, off Mogadore Road. "Now that we …

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Cause of Chemical Leaching at RB&W Site Found

Analysis shows top of slurry wall built too low below ground level

An improperly installed containment system appears to be the cause of contaminated groundwater at the former RB&W site at 800 Mogadore Road. For more than a year city officials, the Ohio EPA, a local environmental firm and the out-of-town property owners have been trying to find out what was causing groundwater test wells at the former manufacturing site, now a brownfield, to show increased levels of contaminants. Results from groundwater monitoring wells at the approximately 18-acre property, owned by Memphis, TN, based Thomas & Betts Corp., have shown that contaminants in groundwater at the property have gradually increased since 2008. In 2005, an underground clay slurry wall and artificial cap liner were installed by Pittsburgh-based …

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Kent to Accept $2.4 Million in State Brownfield Grants

Money will pay to clean up former AMETEK, RB&W manufacturing sites

City leaders will formally accept more than $2.4 million from the state of Ohio this week as part of efforts to remediate two of Kent's oldest brownfields. Kent City Council will vote Wednesday on two grants from the Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund. One grant will remediate contaminated soil and repair an underground chemical containment system at the former RB&W site on Mogadore Road. The second grant will address soil issues at the former AMETEK complex on Lake Street. The RB&W grant totals more than $1.3 million, and the AMETEK grant amounts to more than $1 million. MORE COVERAGE:

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RB&W Site Considered by EPA for 'Urban Setting Designation'

Mogadore Road property undergoing pollution remediation

Ohio EPA is considering a request to grant an Urban Setting Designation (USD) for the former RB&W property located at 800 Mogadore Road in Kent. A USD application for the 17.7-acre property was submitted by HzW Environmental Consultants LLC on behalf of Thomas & Betts Corporation and the city of Kent. The Agency is seeking public comments before making a final decision. Under Ohio EPA’s Voluntary Action Program (VAP), contaminated ground water must be treated if it poses a risk to the community or environment. However, if there is no current or anticipated future use of that ground water (for drinking, bathing, cooking), a USD may be requested. A USD recognizes that cleaning up the ground water to drinking water standards is not necessary …

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Kent Reworks RB&W Clean-Up Deal

City now responsible for up-front costs, property owner will reimburse slurry wall assessment

The up front, out-of-pocket costs associated with a $1.34 million state brownfield grant awarded to Kent must now come out of city coffers. The city has amended its agreement with Thomas & Betts Corp. of Memphis, TN, regarding the remediation efforts at the former RB&W site at 800 Mogadore Road. Originally, as part of the state grant, the city and Thomas & Betts agreed to split the associated $150,000 local matching costs. Now, the city plans to pay the total costs up front, up to that $150,000 figure, with Thomas & Betts promising to reimburse the city for half their expenses at a later date. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said the amended agreement doesn't change how much the city will finally be on the hook for, which shouldn't exceed $…

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Rick Hawksley

11:29 am on Saturday, August 18, 2012

Legacy coats are one more way we subsidize the private sector. Off-shoring just moves ecological contamination to another neighborhood. We need a different economic paridigm that focuses on the full costs of economic activity.   more ›

Editor's Picks for Top Stories of 2011

Editor's Picks: RB&W Brownfield Restoration

Kent Patch is republishing the editor's picks for top stories of 2011 this week with brief updates.

Editor's Note: the saga of the 18 acres on Mogadore Road most recently known as the former RB&W site is a long and confusing one. To summarize, past companies heavily polluted the soil. Now, the property owner and the city are teaming up with financial help from the state to clean the property, fix a chemical leaching problem and prepare it for redevelopment. Almost one year ago, Kent Patch broke the news that chemicals thought to be sealed underground are leaching into groundwater on the site. Since then, we've written more then a dozen stories about the property. Below is the original story, republished today as one of the editor's picks for top stories of 2011. Jan. 5, 2011 An increase in contaminants in test wells at the old RB&W site …

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UPDATE: State Signs Off on $1.34 Million for RB&W Site

Clean Ohio Fund grant will pay for remediation of brownfield on Mogadore Road

State officials officially signed off this afternoon on a $1.34 million Clean Ohio Fund grant to finish cleaning the RB&W brownfield on Mogadore Road. Word that the Clean Ohio Council released $1,342,210 to the city for the property came via press release from State Rep. Kathleen Clyde's office. City officials first learned they had won the grant award last month. The grant, which guarantees the property owner will sell the land to the city for $1, will pay to fix the cause of chemical leaching at the property at 800 Mogadore Road and remove any remaining contaminated soil. What comes next is a "failure investigation" to find the cause of the increased contaminants found in groundwater at the 18-acre site. Both the city and the property …

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Kent Gets $1.3 Million State Grant for RB&W Property

Grant will pay cost to clean site, prepare it for redevelopment

The state has awarded Kent a $1.34 million grant to finishing cleaning the former RB&W brown field on Mogadore Road and prepare it for redevelopment. Kent Mayor Jerry Fiala and Kent Economic Development Director Dan Smith traveled to Columbus today for the Clean Ohio Fund Brownfield Revitalization Program hearing on the request and shared the news on their drive back. "The sun is shining on us down here in Columbus," Fiala said. Smith said the grant award triggers terms the city agreed to with the property's owner, Thomas & Betts Corp. of Memphis, TN, which will now sell the property at 800 Mogadore Road to Kent for $1. "They fully funded our request, so we’ll move pretty quickly to get this property cleaned up and hopefully land some of …

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

As part of state grant request, city will partner with property owner to determine chemical leaching problem at Mogadore Road property

The reclamation of the former RB&W property on Mogadore Road is going to cost the city if it wants to buy the land and help redevelop it. 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 increased contaminants in groundwater 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 application to the Clean Ohio Fund Brownfield Revitalization program to finish cleaning efforts at the property and redevelop it. The investigation will focus on an underground, clay slurry…

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