Skagit County Community Justice Center Brownfield Redevelopment Project

Client: Skagit County

Location: Mt. Vernon, Washington

The Truck City Truck Stop in Mount Vernon, Washington, operated as a gas fueling station, truck scale, and truck wash from 1953 to 2015. Over the years, the truck stop’s operations contaminated the property, ultimately resulting in a brownfield designation. Despite the property’s condition, Skagit County saw an opportunity to redevelop the parcel and construct a new jail facility to replace its existing, overcrowded facility. In February 2015, Skagit County agreed to a Prospective Purchaser Consent Decree (PPCD) with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and became the formal owner of the property.

Tasked with investigating and remediating the site before construction of the new jail, Skagit County retained MFA to complete the property cleanup and advance brownfield redevelopment. MFA’s work involved the following:

  • Assisting Skagit County in obtaining a Remedial Action Grant from Ecology
  • Drafting strategic communications in collaboration with the Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program, and attending public hearings for the proposed Community Justice Center
  • Working closely with the legal and management teams at Ecology and Skagit County to draft and finalize the PPCD
  • Managing and conducting all phases of environmental site work, including:
    • The decommissioning and removal of the fuel-containing underground storage tanks
    • Coordinating demolition of existing buildings (which also involved the cleanup/proper disposal of hazardous, contaminated materials)
    • Site characterization and remedial investigation
    • Dewatering
    • Soil remedial action
    • In situ enhanced aerobic biodegradation groundwater remediation
    • Quarterly groundwater monitoring events to evaluate the groundwater quality at all points of compliance at the site
    • Designing and installing a vapor barrier and venting system for integration with the foundation of the Community Justice Center

In May 2018, Ecology determined that the site met the requirements of the PPCD and that no further remedial action was necessary at the site. The site has since been removed from Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List.

The Skagit County Community Justice Center Brownfield Redevelopment project 2018 Governor’s Smart Communities Award in the Smart Projects category for being an exemplary intergovernmental partnership and a successful brownfield redevelopment project. MFA is honored to have been a part of this project.

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