Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Promoting Arts, Education, and Entrepreneurship through environmental due diligence completed for The Hive

APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL ​recently completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) as part of the due diligence for an exciting project called The Hive. ​
The Hive Project is a dream to empower artists, educators and entrepreneurs (young and old) united by a common desire to share, teach and compassionately serve. Their organization brings together thousands of people every year who share a passion for education in the performing, visual, creative and culinary arts. Additionally, The Hive Project and its expansive campus will be a preeminent venue here in Southeast Michigan dedicated to creating emotionally engaging and intellectually relevant artistic presentations delivered through multiple mediums and live performances. ​
The Hive is a campus consisting of collaborative co-working space with reception area, conference rooms, commercial kitchen, private offices, modular workpods, mailroom, and library, performance spaces, open field and preserved woodland, school for the arts with flexible classrooms, common space, Fab Lab, creative carrels, and computer lab, commercial kitchen, residential halls, athletic fields, artisan studios, coffee roasting area, machining center, glass blowing workshop, pottery studio, photography studio, metalsmith shop, and recording studio.  The Hive is committed to the arts- performance, musical, visual, creative, and culinary, arts education, and sustainability.  The Hive manages its own wastewater treatment plant and water supply system and is committed to ultimately generating more than half of their own energy through solar and wind infrastructure.
IMAGE: COLLECTIONS OF THE HENRY FORD A GIFT OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY (DATED NOVEMBER 12, 1936)
The property consists of approximately 215 Acres, developed with 17 structures and has a rich history. During the Great Depression, Henry Ford acquired many thousands of acres of farmland in Southeast Michigan, collectively known as Quirk Farms. He was interested in soybeans for fuel experiments and testing new designs in an agricultural and private environment. He was also a passionate supporter of education. The American worker, he believed, had lost the use of his hands. In response, Ford opened over 50 boarding and trade schools throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. 
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Approximately 215 of these acres south of Saline were established as one of these schools. The original maintenance shop floors, built from unused cuts of dashboard lumber, still remain today. For over 70 years after its sale in 1947, this unique property served as the Clinton campus for Holy Cross Children’s Services, an organization dedicated to providing hope and healing to boys, young men and their families. 
Part of the organization's due diligence, before purchasing the property was to have a Phase I ESA completed to evaluate the environmental condition of the property. APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL did identify a Historic Recognized Environmental Concern (HREC) related to one 1,000-gallon gasoline Underground Storage Tank (UST) and three 10,000-gallon heating oil USTs removed from the ground at the site in 1993.  Based on a review of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (MDEGLE) documents, a release of gasoline was reported in March 1993 as samples collected post-excavation revealed concentrations of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes (BTEX) and Methyl-tertbutyl-ether (MTBE).  Additional sampling was completed in 2002 in order to delineate the vertical and horizontal extent of the release, the analytical results from which did not reveal concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) or Lead exceeding respective laboratory method detection limits (MDLs).  Furthermore, the areas previously revealing concentrations of contaminants during 1993 sampling no longer revealed contamination.  Therefore, closure of the release was recommended, and then granted based on a Tier I Evaluation without land use restrictions.  

Conducting this due diligence can allow The Hive Project to claim innocent purchaser defenses if contamination is or may be present. It essentially allows a buyer to identify certain conditions before becoming the landowner, thus documenting they did not cause or contribute to that condition. In this regard, the Phase I ESA can be a great risk management tool in commercial real estate due diligence.

APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL is proud to support The Hive with their environmental due diligence needs.  Check out their work and mission, and consider donating here. ​
Monday, August 3, 2020

recognizing the conservation value at grass lake centennial farm

APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL was recently contracted by Legacy Land Conservancy, a local non-profit land trust, to perform environmental due diligence services for a 170-acre farmland property located in Grass Lake, Michigan.  Legacy protects and preserves land in Washtenaw and Jackson Counties, and is currently working with the owners of the generational family farm to protect their land—forever—with a conservation agreement.
 
As part of the due diligence process, a thorough assessment of the property must be completed to ensure the conservation values won't be harmed or hindered by past uses.  APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL is uniquely suited to assist community partners like Legacy with an Environmental Site Assessment (ESA).​
IMAGE: APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL
Our team completed a Phase I ESA on the Grass Lake property to assess if current or historical property uses have impacted the soil or groundwater beneath the property and could pose a threat to the environment and/or human health.  The ESA revealed the presence of three underground storage tanks (USTs) and an aboveground storage tank (AST).  Two of the USTs contained gasoline historically used for fueling farm equipment and the remaining UST and AST contained fuel oil used for heating the residential structures.  APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL facilitated the removal of the USTs and AST and conducted soil sampling to evaluate whether a release had occurred from any of the storage tanks.  The only impacted soil was at the base of the 250-gallon heating fuel oil AST.  APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL oversaw the removal and the proper disposal of the impacted soil and conducted verification sampling to ensure all impacted soil was removed. 
 
We are grateful to Legacy Land Conservancy for the opportunity to be a part of their efforts to protect and preserve land for generations to come.
Thursday, June 11, 2020

Consumption of PFAS in Drinking Water Shown to Bring on Menopause Sooner

APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL prides itself on staying current with changing testing protocols and regulations for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).  As a company, we recognize how rapidly research is informing policies to protect public health.  In our latest correspondence with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), we have been advised to use SW-846 Method 8327, recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which is designed to measure 24 PFAS compounds in groundwater, surface water, and wastewater samples, and American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D7979, the standard method for determining PFAS in Water, Sludge, influent and effluent, and wastewater.
IMAGE: SHUTTERTSOCK
The linked article reports on the University of Michigan study of a 17-year-long prospective cohort of 1,120 midlife women.  Samples of blood showing higher levels of PFAS in participants revealed that menopause was reached two years earlier than in participants with lower levels of blood PFAS content.  According to Sung Kyun Park, Sc.D., MPH, one of the authors of the study, “Even menopause a few years earlier than usual could have a significant impact on cardiovascular health, bone health and quality of life, and overall health in general among women[...]”.
Friday, June 05, 2020

EPA Funding for Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park

With the opening of our Detroit office in 2017, APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL took an active step in contributing to the modern, post-industrial renaissance of Detroit.  We are excited by the attention of investors, community organizations, and committed individuals to make a more sustainable future for the city.  Funds released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will improve public recreational space, as well as benefit wildlife in the area. ​
IMAGE: DETROIT RIVERFRONT CONSERVANCY
The linked article, written by Ri’An Jackson reports that the EPA recently signed a $2.5 million agreement to clean the Detroit River.  Mr. John Hartig, member of the board of directors at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, says, “I think this is a (project) that really gives hope that we can reclaim these areas — these industrial waterfronts — and we can clean them up.  We can reconnect people to them and they can be amazing places that enhance the quality of life.”  The money will be allocated to helping clean contaminated river sediments in a cove area at the Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park.  This cove area will provide an improved habitat for local fish and wildlife.  The planned 22-acre park, Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park, will be located between Rosa Parks boulevard and Eighth Street.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020

COVID-19 Response

As a company, we are: staying safe, following the state order, missing hugs from our moms, dads, grandma's, and grandpa's, communicating like heck with our clients, learning how to work from home and manage, well... ALL OF IT, utilizing technology like never before, laser focused on the horizon, reflecting, innovating, upgrading, donating, finally, grateful for the relationships we share with our team and our clients.
We are still working and providing our clients with the best customer service and solutions related to environmental due diligence and risk management, development incentives, sustainability, and regulatory compliance - from a distance. 

Stay safe, 
APPLIED ENVIRONMENTAL
Curious for more information?  Here are some news sources we follow.