Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment
with Visual Asbestos Survey

401-415 South Ave. (Wheeler's Furniture)

Date of Report: November, 2007
Assessment Funding:
Acres: approximately 0.65

Site Background

Historical research conducted during these assessments revealed that the buildings on the north portion of the property had been developed since the late 1800s and was originally occupied by a Methodist church with an associated residence until the early 1900s. A new structure was built in approximately 1905. It was then occupied by a leather goods and automotive accessories store until the early 1950s. From the early 1950s to the early 1980s, the property was occupied by various tenants including an insurance company, a loan company, a gun and key shop, and an office supply company. From the mid 1980s to the present, the building has been occupied by Wheeler’s Furniture with a photography studio occupying part of the building in the early 1980s.

The south and central portions of the property has been developed since the late 1800s. The buildings present at that time are no longer present today and occupants included a residence, a hotel / boarding house, a printing facility, a plumber, and a broom factory. In the 1930s to the 1950s, a building utilized to store oil was present in the central portion. In the 1920s, a structure was built in the south portion and was utilized as an automotive repair until the 1980s. In the 1930s, this building was also utilized as a filling station which operated until the 1980s. From the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, this building was occupied by various tenants including car sales and a restaurant. This building has been utilized as storage for Wheeler’s Furniture since the late 1990s.

Findings

In the mid 1990s, two petroleum storage tanks were removed from the north side of the former filling station building. The removal of these tanks was given a No Further Action (NFA) letter by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, indicating that petroleum impacted soils were not present in this area above cleanup levels in place at that time. However, evidence that additional petroleum storage tanks may be present in the vicinity of this building was found during this assessment. The potential presence of these tanks was identified as a recognized environmental condition.

A visual survey for asbestos containing material was also conducted as part of the Phase I ESA. Building materials suspected of containing asbestos include wall plaster and texture, stucco, sheet flooring, ceiling tiles and floor tiles. Since sampling of those materials was not conducted, it is not possible to determine if these materials are actually asbestos-containing.