TIF News, Tedford Fire Update

The Industrial Development Board (IDB) is requesting developers seeking TIFs to apply to the IDB first, before Commission takes up the issue.

Link...

This is a good thing, as Commission could then vote with some data in hand about the economic benefit and a review of the "but for" standard. And they should SLAP the crap outa IDB if they send something up that doesn't meet that standard.


With respect to the Tedford Road Dump Fire, we held our second interdepartmental meeting with the Knox County agencies. High points:

• Soil samples are being taken from various locations (disturbed soil, undisturbed, controls) to determine if there are any contaminants that can't be seen visually (fuel oil, chemicals, etc).
• Final disposition of the site (capping, truck off or re-bury, etc) is still under discussion and partly tied up with the legal proceedings against the landowner.
• Still doing excavation and extinguishing work. Air quality has been good for about a week, but had smoke and odor evening of 2/11
• Health Dept looking at putting contracts into place for future air sampling, particulate monitoring (next incident, or if this drags on).
• Solid Waste will share their documentation of excavation
• Second round of well testing will occur, we have pushed for samples in previously unsampled locations. County is consulting outside geologists for recommendations.

Update (2/14): More smoldering today from the "lower" hole, but not burning like 2-3 weeks ago. Renfro is excavating (stumps and logs) and Rural Metro will put water on. Upper hole is being left exposed to see if there is anything left that might start smoldering.

Update (2/15): Rural Metro reports yesterday's burning material/hotspots indicate that considerably more excavation will need to be done on the lower section and eastern flank to dig down to natural grade, to make a complete search for possible pockets of material. Rural Metro expects that it could take "the next couple of weeks." Yesterday we requested Air Quality to accelerate putting in place contracts for additional air monitoring, to include possible second round of toxics, as well as initial formaldehyde and particulate testing.

Thanks again to Rural Metro & the Knox Co agencies for their hard work resolving this difficult issue.