At this point, it would appear the City may be "accepting liability". Probably in the same way that the new owner of an established business that has underground fuel tanks on the premises becomes the new owner of an existing issue.
There has been an issue with Lead (Pb) identified on the Armory site. This was identified in a national survey of many if not all Armories around the country, and the Olympia Armory is listed as positive for the presence of Lead. The Oregonian ran a series "Toxic Armories" which doesn't paint a very rosy picture of many Armories and their operational norms. Lead infested "dust bunnies" don't just come from bullets, but also the dusts that result from the (cartridge) primers, which are manufactured with lead related compounds contained within. Scouting groups using Armory facilities for "sleep out" activities have bedded down on floors that are in contaminated spaces. One good knock on HVAC ducting can disturb decades of dust with significant amounts of lead contained within.
So what's the big deal? There shouldn't be a big deal if the entire facility has been 100% decontaminated. And I don't mean one area or another at different times. As a complete, one time, signed off and done Phase. Now, if the Military has already contracted that work, the City should be sure to obtain all related do***entation. Future Permitting may still require Materials testing before improvements and renovations can go ahead, I am not qualified to speak to that.
The main point is: assure this is done correctly from the start, and don't be surprised if the contamination issue pops up, increasing projected costs to the Project, the City, and Olympia taxpayers. Can't forget the taxpayers!
By the way, I support this project, done right.
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