City denied additional funding in Brownfields Phase II

The city of Cassville has been denied Brownfields Voluntary Cleanup Program Phase II funding, lurching the Hall Theatre saga into new territory where condemnation and demolition are next on the cards.

Steve Walensky, Cassville city administrator, said the Brownfields Phase I study determined there were not enough contaminants in the basement of the Theatre and surrounding soil to warrant funding for removal.

“We will not get any Phase II Brownfields support, so we will be pursuing condemnation and demolition in court,” Walensky said. “I feel the city will have to pay to tear it down, and we will try to recoup those costs in court.”

Seagull Environmental Technologies performed an environmental site assessment at the Theatre, located at 708 West St. in Cassville, on Aug. 22.

The building was destroyed by a fire the morning of March 1, 2022, and possible fuel contaminants in the basement presented a barrier to demolition without environmental risk.

The assessment included two surface soil samples and one subsurface soil sample for chemical analysis. All soil samples were submitted for laboratory analysis of volatile organic compounds, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and naphthalene; polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; and total petroleum hydrocarbons — diesel range organics and oil range organics. Attempts to collect groundwater samples were unsuccessful.

Only one volatile organic compound, acetone, was detected in the soil samples, and all three samples showed concentrations well below Missouri Riskbased Corrective Action standards established by the DNR.

With no other compounds detected, Seagull concluded there is no associated risk for future use and redevelopment of the property.

The city has been in legal limbo with Hall Theatre owner Travis James for the last year. James has told city officials he has no funds for cleanup, and the Brownfields Program was an attempt by the city to get demolition paid for.

Without it, Walensky said the city will be on the hook.

“We will remove the debris and dig out the fuel tank from the basement,” he said. “We want the court to enforce that the building be boarded up, and I will have my foot on the pedal [pursuing condemnation and demolition.”

Walensky said he hopes to get a judgement in the city’s favor this month that allow him to advertise for demolition bids. Language crafted for a separate demolition bid can be used for the Theatre, which will allow Walensky to act quickly.

“We have been very patient — more than I wanted to be,” he said. “Things did not turn out the way we’d hoped with the Brownfields funding, so it will probably be on us.”

Walensky said asbestos and environmental studies have also already been completed on the Theatre, presenting no barriers to demolition.

“Once we get jurisdiction from the court, we will issue the condemnation the day of or day after,” he said. “We just need the court to give us permission to do it.”

Walensky said once demolished, the property will be converted into a parking lot with a dozen or more spaces available to ease parking demands at the historic Barry County Courthouse.