Jul. 1—Remediation is set to begin of the contaminated soil at the former General Motors Delco plant site, which will eventually allow the property to reopen for new development for the first time in 30 years.

The RACER Trust is spearheading the cleanup at the site located at 1723 N. Washington St. The 10.14-acre property is located between Washington Street and Davis Road, south of Morgan Street.

The Trust was created in 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to clean up and prepare properties and other facilities owned by the former General Motors Corp. before its 2009 bankruptcy.

RACER said in a release it is now preparing the former GM Delco plant property for active soil remediation, and the project is expected to conclude in mid-November. Preparation activities are expected to start Tuesday, including installation of security fencing and mobilization of heavy equipment to the property.

Deliveries of materials and equipment will be via Washington Street. Working hours will be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Security will be present during non-working hours. RACER said there should be minimal, if any, public disruption while work is ongoing.

The clean up comes after levels of trichloroethene (TCE) were found in some areas to be more than 13 times above the approved level for commercial sites, and nearly 19 times above the limits set for residential properties.

People who are overexposed to moderate amounts of the chemical might experience headaches, dizziness and sleepiness, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Large amounts of TCE might cause coma and possibly death.

RACER said that during the cleanup, it will implement health and safety practices, including continuous air monitoring during active soil handling, to ensure the air conditions are within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines.

The work will involve movement of shallower soils to access and treat deeper impacted soils. This effort is expected to be the only active remediation work necessary at the property.

The active remediation work at the site will begin in early August. The impacted soils at depth will be mixed with a material that will break down the chemicals in the soil. When the process is complete, the remediated area will be backfilled and reseeded.

Some site contaminants have been found in groundwater. Drinking water in the area surrounding the property is provided by Indiana American Water, which is not impacted by conditions on the property.

RACER said it is actively marketing and repositioning the property for sale to a buyer who is capable of maximizing its redevelopment and reuse potential.

The lot has been unused since 1991, when the former GM Delco Plant 5 facility closed. The plant assembled and tested circuit boards between 1953 and 1991. The 144,000-square-foot facility was demolished in 1993, and has since sat vacant due to redevelopment restrictions requiring the lot to be remediated before it could be used again.

The plant was constructed in 1915 and used until 1926 by the Apperson Brothers Automobile Company to assemble Haynes cars. In 1926, it was owned by Wolfe Manufacturing Industries, which built radio cabinets.

The factory was purchased in the late 1930s by Reliance Manufacturing to make women's clothing and pack parachutes during World War II. In 1953, GM Delco Division purchased the building to assemble circuit boards.

Carson Gerber can be reached at 765-854-6739, carson.gerber@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @carsongerber1.