Turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse is no easy task, but has been accomplished by the Sunriver Owners Association (SROA) with the opening of the Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center (SHARC).
Located in the heart of the residential and resort community, the $18 million dollar project has been named recipient of a 2012 Oregon Brownfields Award. The award will be presented June 13 during the annual Oregon Brownfields Conference in Portland.
The term “brownfields” refers to: “real property where the expansion, redevelopment or reuse is hindered by the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.”
More than 5.5 acres of the 22-acre where the aquatic and recreation facility now sits was riddled with asbestos-containing material (ACM) — remnants of the Army Corps of Engineers Camp Abbot military training facility that occupied Sunriver between 1942-1944. The camp was demolished in 1945.
The asbestos was first discovered in 2002, and required annual cleanup as material reached the surface from freeze/thaw action over the winter. Over an 8-year period, the cleanups yielded approximately 1,500 pounds of ACM.
Under the direction of the Department of Environmental Quality, asbestos remediation was integrated into the construction project and permanent solution to eliminating potential health risks to owners, visitors and the environment.
The remediation portion of the SHARC project to “cap” the asbestos-contaminated areas cost $353,000. The asbestos capping included up to two-feet of topsoil, 8-10 inches of baserock and topped with concrete or asphalt.
“SROA was able to effectively encapsulate the asbestos, turning the liability of a vacant tract of asbestos-contaminated land into a safe and environmentally sound public recreation area,” stated Tony DeBone, Deschutes County Commissioner in a letter of support for the award nomination. “ The project had a significant economic benefit to the region, employing more than 175 workers per day during the height of construction. In all, 19 Bend area firms were employed, giving southern Deschutes County a much needed construction stimulus during a very difficult economic period.”
SHARC is a gleaming example of transforming an environmentally challenged site into a viable economic stimulus for the community with significant protection of the environment and human health. “This project and its ultimate outcome is a real life win-win,” said Hugh Palcic, SROA assistant general manager. “It shows what can happen when a community and the DEQ work together in creative problem solving.”
“To succeed in brownfield redevelopment, we need truly collaborative partnerships between property owners, government and interested stakeholders,” said Tim McCabe, director of Business Oregon. “These projects are instrumental as they either strengthen Oregon’s livable communities or create opportunities for existing Oregon companies and jobs for Oregonians.”
Other 2012 Oregon Brownfields Award winners include the June Key Delta Community Center, the Tabor Commons project and remediation and future development of a 30-acre Willamette River waterfront parcel owned by ZRZ Realty Company — all located in the Portland area.
For more information about SHARC, visit www.sunriverowners.org
