The city is expecting to remove 50 tons to 60 tons of soil contaminated with lead and other metals.

ST. PETERSBURG – Crews are poised to begin removing tons of dirt contaminated with lead and other metals on the site of the former St. Petersburg Pistol Club.

The site, 1845 13th Avenue N, is slated to be the home of a new, modern firing range for the St. Petersburg Police Department. It is being renovated now that the city has taken over its operation.

“The clean-up would be happening regardless of the new use,” said St. Petersburg City Architect Raul Quintana.

The St. Petersburg City Council is expected to approve a contract with Cardno to handle the site clean-up work at its Thursday (Sept. 7) meeting. If the council approves, work is expected to begin Sept. 12. Contractors expect the work to take about two weeks.

Plans are to remove the first six inches to one foot of soil in an area roughly 50-60 yards east of 19th Street N and about 30 yards north of 13th Avenue N. The city and Cardno are notifying the Florida Department of Environmental Protection of the removal. However, there should be no reason to believe there are any inherent health or safety risks, officials said.

“We expect to remove 50-60 tons of contaminated soil,” said Rick Hagberg of Cardno. “Securely and safely.”

Crews will wear protective gear, and the area will be cordoned off with tape during the excavation process. The scraped dirt will be loaded into secured and covered roll-off dumpsters, which will be taken to an approved landfill for disposal.

For information about St. Petersburg, go to stpete.org.

St Petersburg Pistol Club | Contaminated Soil | Lead | Environment | Tampabay News | TB Reporter

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