Ferndale Library Evacuated, Lot Closed After Pocket of Flammable Gas Found During Testing
(Crystal A. Proxmire, July 21, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – Firetrucks blocked the parking lot between Ferndale City Hall and the Ferndale Area District Library Thursday afternoon after workers taking a soil sample hit a pocket of flammable gas.
The samples are being taken in city-owned lots to help in planning future development, with the most immediate eye being on determining the best location for a city parking structure.
According to Assistant City Manager, Joseph Gacioch “The drilling/testing, which is being performed by Materials Testing Consultants, Inc., is a part of phase 1 of the current parking deck site evaluation project.
“Since July 11th, MTC has been drilling cores as deep as 110 feet deep to help us evaluate what’s beneath the surface. This is a due diligence piece that is necessary to ensure that we know what’s below the surface before we consider building above it. The crew will be testing soil composition and studying the environmental makeup of the land to determine safety and viability prior to prospective development. This is a normal step in the vetting process for projects like these. No specific project or location has been decided upon at this time.
He added that “MTC discovered a plume of gas about 110 feet below the surface while drilling in the City Hall lot. The Fire Department and Consumers Energy was immediately called and work ceased. Safety is always our top concern, so the Fire Chief requested that the Library be temporarily evacuated and the lot closed off to allow for proper examination of the gas and site. The project team has completed the evaluation and has a plan to cap the leak; we do not believe there to be a threat to public safety at this time.
“I want to emphasize, this is NOT a Consumers Energy leak, the depth is much lower than Consumer’s gas line,” Gacioch said.
It is unclear when the work will be done and the lot re-opened.