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$731,690 to get lead out
Final bill for removal of Manteca Police firing range
shooting range
This is a 2005 aerial view of the Manteca Police firing range that has since been removed. - photo by Photo Contributed

The plan to transform municipal land once used to grow corn for dairy cows using reclaimed wastewater into a family recreation mecca required the city to remove the Manteca Police Department’s firing range.

The range — which was located a couple hundred feet west of the northwestern field at the Big League Dreams sports complex — hasn’t been used since 2009.  The city stopped using it prior to the effort started to land an indoor water park resort and create a family entertainment zone (FEZ). It was shuttered out of the perceived safety hazard that BLD players and spectators may have given the close proximity to the sports complex.

The city didn’t consider it a real danger per se at the time given the fenced in area of 150 by 260 feet had a 25-foot high and a 25-foot wide berm.

In order to convert the land that is part of 201 acres owned by the city for the FEZ development, the firing range had to be removed.

When the environmental impact report was certified for the FEZ project in 2015 it required remediation of all contaminants before construction could start.

That meant getting rid of the range floor, the primary impact berm, side berms, an irrigation well, a storage shed, and a shade structure. The biggest challenge was the lead from countless bullets fired over the years at the range. It is what sent the final cost to clean up the firing range to $731,690.

The City Council when they meet Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St., is expected to authorize final payment and issue a notice of completion.

The cost had minimum impact as the city was able to cover the bill from funds set aside over the years in the municipal self-insurance fund.

Innovative Construction Solutions started removing contaminated materials on Feb. 12, 2017 and finished the removal five months later.

There was 1,184.09 tons of soil was removed that exceeded the federal Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) criteria. Another 1,701.48 tons were removed that exceeded California hazardous waste criteria. The removed soil was transported to Clean Harbors for disposal. To meet the remediation requirements for the site, San Joaquin County Environmental Health Department required an additional 517.39 tons of soil be removed that exceeded RCRA hazardous waste criteria.

Manteca officers currently use the Ripon Police Department firing range near that city’s wastewater treatment plant.

At one point in 2006, Manteca spent $3.4 million to buy the old 55,000-square-foot building on Industrial Park Drive that once housed Kodak’s Qualex film processing operations. The idea was to convert that into the new police headquarters and possibly include an indoor firing range.

The structure is now being sold as part of the state’s decision to disband redevelopment agencies throughout California.

 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com