15,000 and Counting!!

ASTI Environmental recently completed our 15,000th project. Since we were established in 1985, ASTI has learned that each client wants to be treated as if they are the only one we serve and it has been our pleasure to oblige them 15,000 times and counting.  ASTI President Tom Wackerman recalls the beginning; “To think that we were scrambling to welcome our first client to our makeshift office in 1985 and here we are 37 years later still mitigating our client's risk and expense one project at a time is remarkable.”

We are only as good as our last project, so if you have yet to engage ASTI for Environmental, Ecological, and Restoration Services, please consider giving us a call 810/599-8131 for your next project.

ASTI Works With Six Rivers on Land Conservation Project

In 2020, ASTI was retained by Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy to conduct a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of four parcels of land on Lake George Road in Oakland Township, Michigan for purchase with funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF). These parcels contain three residences, span 244 acres, and were formerly used as farmland and orchard areas. This 244-acre property stood out as a desirable property to acquire for conservation due to its one-of-a-kind natural features, proximity to an existing park (Lost Lakes Nature Park), proximity to a school (Oakview Middle School), its accessibility by local residents and school children, and the potential for amenities for park visitors.

The Oakland Township Lost Lake Nature Park Expansion property was found to have natural features considered “rare” and “irreplaceable” by DNR standards. These features include 281 observed plant species, black spruce bog, prairie fen, oak woodland, rich tamarack swamp, forested wetlands, and open fields. The plan is to create a park with a four-mile trail system connecting to Lost Lake with access to Stony Creek and multiple other lakes. Access to Clam Lake, Green Lake, Tamarack Lake, the West Branch of Stony Creek, and Black Spruce Bog is also planned. The project will offer many environmental benefits and amenities for Oakland Township residents to enjoy. There will be ecological links to the existing Lost Lake Nature Park, Addison Oaks Park, and Bald Mountain State Recreation Area. This project will also help to protect the West Branch of Stony Creek, Clam Lake, water resources, and sensitive habitats. Hiking, wildlife observation, hunting, and nature programs will also be offered.

Six River Regional Land Conservancy’s Conservation Vision is dynamic and multifaceted. Not only do they work to conserve natural areas, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, but they work to conserve lands that support local heritages as well. This Phase I ESA is one of several that ASTI Environmental has worked with Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy to complete over the years as we not only support new development and brownfield redevelopment through our Phase I ESAs, but also assist with land preservation initiatives throughout Southeast Michigan.

ASTI Celebrates St. Patrick's Day!

Staff enjoyed the annual ASTI St. Patrick’s Day lunch celebration. This year the celebration was held at Stout Irish Pub in downtown Brighton. Their Irish-themed menu and drinks were enjoyed by all! We are grateful to have been able to reinstate this annual tradition this year!

Staff Spotlight: Welcome, Dani Vargo!

Also new to ASTI, Dani Vargo will be working on Phase Is with our Property Services Group out of our Grand Rapids office. Dani has a BS in Environmental Economics and Policy from Michigan State University and has over seven years of experience in environmental consulting. When not at work, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and camping. Dani has a dog named Kilo who is blind and three-legged, but she says he gets around very well, even going hiking with her! She also enjoys cheering on her old rugby team and finding new parks near Grand Rapids.

Staff Spotlight: Welcome, Ben Buckley!

ASTI Environmental is thrilled to welcome Ben Buckley to our Site Redevelopment Services group. Ben is a Holland, Michigan native who attended Kalamazoo College and then moved to Philadelphia in 2011 to get his MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. After that he worked for the National Parks Service and also spent some time at a couple engingeering firms before recently relocating back to the state after a decade on the East Coast. When he is not hard at work he enjoys fishing, cooking, and following baseball.

Happy 37th to ASTI Environmental!

ASTI Environmental has been providing environmental assessment, compliance, remediation, restoration, and incentive services nationally for 37 years. ASTI Environmental has worked to earn the trust of our clients by providing professional, high quality, and effective consulting services. We give a warm thank to our 7,400+ clients, our thousands of boosters, and our staff, contractors, and suppliers for their continued support.

Since its creation by Tom Wackerman and Peter Collins on February 1, 1985 in Ann Arbor, ASTI Environmental has grown significantly completing 14,500+ projects nationally and has diversified into multiple service lines, adding the following to the core services mix: Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys, Sub-Slab Depressurization System Design and Installation, Redevelopment Incentives (having obtained more than $300 million in gap financing) Habitat Management, Hazard Mitigation Plans, Stormwater and Shoreline Management, and Property Condition Assessments.   We continued to provide Phase I ESAs, Phase II Investigations, Asbestos and Lead Assessments and Management, Compliance Assistance, Due Care Plans, Remediation, and Restoration.  

For a full list of the services provided by ASTI Environmental, please visit our web site at asti-env.com, call our corporate offices at 810-225-2800, or contact Doug Brown at 810-599-8131.

Wackerman & Vapor: What Could Be Better?!

Novi, MI, December 9, 2021:  ASTI President Tom Wackerman will be leading a Roundtable Discussion entitled, The Pressure for Vapor Mitigation: Does It Really Have to Be a Drain? at ICSCs Continuing Education Program which has been rescheduled to April 13th, 2022 at Suburban Show place in Novi.

For more information or to register, please visit the ICSC website by clicking below:

ASTI Provides Environmental and Site Preparation Oversight at the Former McLouth Steel Plant

ASTI was retained by MSC Land Company, LLC, in October 2018 to provide on-site project management and owner representation to complete waste removal and disposal, subsurface structure clearing, industrial cleaning, and demolition as the first step toward the redevelopment of the southern portion of the former McLouth Steel Plant located at 1491 W. Jefferson Ave., Trenton, MI.

The objective of the 182 acre project was to complete the first step in preparation of the property for redevelopment.   This included the demolition of  52 buildings/structures; salvaging 32,575 tons of steel; recycling 70 units containing freon/refrigerant and six non-PCB transformers; disposal of 97 PCB transformers, 2.9 million gallons of non-hazardous liquids, 134.5 thousand gallons of hazardous liquids, 210 cubic yards of hazardous solids, 23,793 tons of concrete, 21,451 tons of general construction and demoliiton debris, and 2,834 cubic yards of non-hazardous liquid; and the abatement and proper disposal of 2,570 cubic yards of asbestos containing materials; and 49,661 tons of galbestose siding.  During these site activities environmental programs were conducted, including perimeter ambient air monitoring, work area ambient monitoring, worker air monitoring, dust control, stormwater control, surfacewater sampling, surface water pre-treatment, and material sampling and segregation. 

The project was completed with federal and state regulatory oversight from the EPA and EGLE, respectively, and under separate agreements with the County, EGLE and EPA. There were additional federal, state, and municipal permitting requirements to meet all relevant and appropriate regulatory requirements that were managed and implemented during the project. In addition to federal, state, and municipal involvement, residents in the immediate vicinity of the property were engaged and informed through city council meetings, townhall meetings, and an EPA-managed Community Involvement Plan. These public meetings provided for an open dialogue that kept the residents informed of project progress while addressing concerns arising from on-site activities.

The property was placed on the National Priorities List in May 2019, just after on-site activates began.  Going forward, the EPA will conduct site assessment and remedial activities in the next phase of preparation for redevelopment and as part of the Superfund program.  This project was a unique cooperation between the purchaser, the EPA and EGLE, where the purchaser, as a bona fide purchaser under CERCLA, voluntarily completed site preparation activities to move redevelopment forward.

From negotiations of the original agreements, through site activities and final documentation of completion, ASTI is proud to have been part of a team that included D-21 Demolition, LLC, Cogent Recovery, Next Generation Environmental, and MSC Land Company, LLC.

Staff Spotlight: Tim Francis

Tim Francis joined ASTI Environmental in the fall of 2018 to head our Trenton office and be the Project Manager for the McLouth Steel remediation project. He has a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Wyoming. Prior to joining ASTI, Tim was the Branch Manager for the Clean Harbors office in Henderson, Colorado. Before that, he was an Account Manager for North American Services Group in Denver. Overall, he has over 23 years experience in the environmental remediation and compliance industry and is an Army Veteran. When not hard at work for ASTI, he can be found fishing, hunting. golfing, and traveling.

ASTI Named One of Metro Detroit’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For

ASTI is proud to be recognized as a 2021 Best and Brightest Company to Work For in Metro Detroit! The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For ® competition identifies and honors companies that display a commitment to excellence in their human resources practices and employee enrichment. Companies are assessed in areas such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention, and more. We are so proud to be awarded this designation for a second year in a row!