OLIVIA. The Renville County Board of Commissioners wants to clean up the former Buffalo Lake Advanced Biofuels facility, which is located on U.S. Highway 212 in Buffalo Lake.
Commissioners learned that the Phase 1 environmental assessment and an asbestos inspection of the site, which covers 17 acres, indicated that there are no obstacles to removing top-surface materials and structures.
Marc Iverson, County Auditor/Treasurer, informed the commissioners that SEH Consultants indicated that the inspection and assessment found no issues.
He said that there was strong interest in moving forward. He said that people in Buffalo Lake deserved a cleaner site to make their city and county better.
Informally, the commissioners agreed that Jordan Zeller, director at the county’s Economic Development Authority, and the auditor/treasurer should work together with the county’s executive committee to recommend steps to initiate a clean-up.
Randy Kramer, chairman of the Board, and other commissioners indicated that they wanted to move cleanup forward as soon possible to ensure that contractors are available.
Iverson stated that there are still some structures on the site. He also mentioned lots of concrete, cooling towers, and other materials. The main structure and other items were removed previously.
The county is responsible for the tax-forfeited property.
The commissioners would like to see it sold to someone who is interested in developing it.
According to Iverson, because it was once an industrial site, the county might limit the potential buyers to those who are actually interested in developing it. This would reduce the chance of it being sold publicly, where someone might only buy the remaining items and then abandon it.
Kramer stated that potential buyers are cautious at this time. To determine if underground hazards exist, they would like to see an environmental assessment done on the site. There are known electrical wires and pipes in the ground.
Iverson said that if a potential developer shows interest in the area, there are funds available from the state to help with additional environmental analysis that the county may not be able or able to do. According to discussions at the meeting, a Phase 2 environmental assessment could cost tens of thousand of dollars.
The commissioners stated that they hope to review the recommendations at their next meeting and make recommendations about how to move forward. Kramer said that the environmental work and asbestos work to date bode well for moving ahead.
