School officials seek grant to inspect underground tank at Asa Wood

Concerns about a possibly leaking underground storage tank have spurred Libby school officials to seek a state grant for the defunct and on-the-market Asa Wood property.

Superintendent Ron Goodman appeared before county commissioners July 7, successfully securing their support for the grant application. The state funding would cover the cost of inspecting a storage tank buried on the property.

While administrators don’t have evidence that the tank is leaking, Goodman said an inspection of the 1,000-gallon heating oil container and surrounding soil could help assuage the concerns of potential buyers.

“We need to know that information and that would increase the value of the property and … increase the likelihood of someone buying it,” he told county commissioners.

To fund the investigation, the district is turning to the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Since state officials require either a county or city government to sponsor the school district’s application, Goodman asked commissioners if they would back the project.

Tina Oliphant, director of the Kootenai River Development Corporation, noted that there was a precedent for the county lending its support to the district. Last year, commissioners agreed to serve as the applicant for an EPA environmental assessment of Asa Wood. At the time, Oliphant said that federal officials were more likely to look favorably on the project if a community-wide body submitted the application.

Pitching the state grant, Oplihant said the investigation would not cost the county any time or local taxpayer dollars.

To put together the grant application, Libby school officials are partnering with NewFields, an environmental consulting company the district worked with to secure funds from the EPA. The DNRC Reclamation and Development Grants Program offers up to $50,000 to investigate sites where waste or other substances threaten the environment or public health.

Representatives with NewFields hope to finalize the draft application by month’s end. Public school officials, commissioners and KRDC would have until Aug. 4 to complete edits. By Aug. 10, county officials would submit the application. DNRC will announce award recipients on Sept. 15 and will contract with successful candidates at the end of the month.

The underground tank inspection is part of a greater push to clean up the Asa Wood building and grounds. EPA officials awarded school officials a $388,000 grant in May to mitigate hazards including asbestos-laden building materials, lead-based paint and mercury-based thermometers.

Within days after receiving the EPA grant, the district began marketing the property on a national scale through United Country Real Estate. Goodman told commissioners that school officials had listed Asa Wood for $1 million.

While hoping to get a good deal for the district, Goodman said Libby administrators also wanted to see the community benefit from the sale.

“One of my great fears is to have that building sitting there five years from now, when someone else owns it with a bunch of windows broken,” he said.

Before agreeing to sign the district’s application, Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) acknowledged the care school officials were taking in cleaning and selling the building.

“I appreciate that just for aesthetics alone,” said Bennett. “Let alone the cost to taxpayers through the school district.”