Wackerman Announces ASTI Environmental’s New West MI Office

GRAND RAPIDS, MI— ASTI Environmental first expanded to West Michigan in 2002 when we opened our original Grand Rapids office, strategically located to better serve our clients from Traverse City to Chicago. This spring we are excited to announce ASTI will be moving to a bigger office conveniently located on East Beltline. We look forward to expanding our practice as we continue to service industry and government in western Michigan by providing assessment, remediation, compliance, restoration, and incentives services.

ASTI Environmental is pleased to have over 400 clients on the west side of the state. Most recently, ASTI was selected to provide as-needed professional environmental services to the City of Grand Rapids to conduct lead-based paint inspections, risk assessments, and clearance examinations of lead paint, dust, and soil. Other local projects include The Shops at Centerpoint and the Grand Rapids Commerce Center (GRCC). The GRCC is the former Steelcase Campus, a 4 million square foot industrial campus on 200+ acres that remains one of the largest brownfield redevelopment projects undertaken in the state of Michigan.

Grand Rapids is one of three offices in Michigan for ASTI Environmental, and will be located at 2311 East Beltline Avenue SE, Suite 104. ASTI also maintains Michigan offices in Brighton (headquarters) and Detroit which are staffed by scientists and engineers with over 350 years of combined technical expertise. Our environmental and restoration experts can be contacted at 800.395.ASTI, by email or www.asti-env.com.

Staff Spotlight: Luke Wright

Although, Luke is not new to our company we are giving him a shot out for his contributions to the hard working team in our Western Great Lakes Office in Grand Rapids. Luke joined ASTI Environmental in 2014 and hit the ground running working with our Environmental Assessment Team. Luke is certified for Lead and Asbestos assessments in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, and can provide assessments in any state with reciprocity. Although originally from Arcata, California, Luke attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, graduating with a BA in Geology, and decided he liked Michigan so much he would stay.

On his days off Luke can be found spending time with his wife Nelie, and two sons, Sam (8) and Aiden(6). They love to spend family time outdoors, biking, hiking, and going to the beach (of which Michigan has some of the best in the world). Luke is a valuable member of our West Michigan Office, and we are grateful for all his hard work and dedication.

Staff Spotlight: Welcome, Alex Young!

ASTI Environmental is thrilled to welcome Alex Young, EIT to our Product Service Group Team. Alex comes to us from his home state of Illinois where he received his masters in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois. Before focusing on environmental engineering Alex got his bachelors in Mining Engineering. When he is not in the field he enjoys swimming and playing water polo.

Fun fact about Alex: he is also an avid art collector

Happy 36th Anniversary, ASTI Environmental!

ASTI Environmental has been providing environmental assessment, compliance, remediation, restoration, and incentive services nationally for 36 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 2, 1985 in Ann Arbor, ASTI Environmental has grown significantly completing 14,000+ projects nationally and has diversified into multiple service lines, adding the following to core services mix: Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys, Sub-Slab Depressurization System Design and Installation, Redevelopment Incentives (having obtained more than $220 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.

New Legislation: Historic Preservation Tax Credit

Looking to restore a historic building, structure, or site? This will be of interest to you!

Senate Bill 54 was passed by the State of Michigan legislation in December 2020. This bill amended Part 1 (individual income tax) and Part 2 (corporate income tax) of the Income Tax Act to provide for an historic preservation tax credit of up to 25% of qualified expenditures on the rehabilitation of historic buildings, structures, and sites.  ASTI has added this to our incentives toolbox to assist you with funding options.

In order to qualify for the credit there are certain conditions that the project must meet, such as the site must be located in a historic district or individually listed on the state or National register of historic places. Qualified taxpayers can claim a credit of up to $2.0 million for a single property for qualifying expenses, but actual credit amounts will depend on agency approval.

Would like more information for a current or upcoming project; Please email Thomas Wackerman or call 1-810-225-2800.

NEW CONTRACT: City of Grand Rapids Awards ASTI Contract for Lead Assessment Services

Grand Rapids, MI, January 7, 2021: ASTI Environmental is pleased to share that we have been selected by the City of Grand Rapids as their as-needed environmental service provider. The contract includes providing Inspections, Risk Assessments and Clearance Examinations of lead paint, dust, and soil. Leading the contract is ASTI’s Mr. David Amir, Director of the Site Redevelopment Services, possessing more than 25 years in the environmental industry. Mr. Amir and his team are certified and specialized in asbestos, mold, radon, lead paint and indoor air quality investigations, hazardous material abatement, and preparation of demolition specifications throughout the Midwest US.

For more information on ASTI’s Site Redevelopment Services, including but not limited to mold, radon, asbestos, lead paint and indoor air quality investigations, hazardous material abatement, and property condition assessments; please contact David Amir, at damir@asti-env.com or call (810) 225 – 2800.

Welsh Addresses Environmental Attorneys

The Hazardous Substance and Brownfield Committee of the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan Is planning a year-end webinar on Wednesday, December 9, from Noon-1:30 p.m. The webinar will focus on notable changes in 2020 to Michigan's environmental regulations, rules and guidance, including with respect to air, waste, remediation and environmental due diligence. We also will take a brief look into what we can anticipate for 2021, including new ASTM standards for environmental due diligence.   

Presenters:

Benjamin L. Fruchey, Partner, Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip, PLLC

Nicholas J. Tatro, Senior Associate, Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip, PLLC

Rick Welsh, Director, ASTI Environmental  

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Click the “Presentation” button to download a copy of the Powerpoint Presentation that will accompany Rick Welsh’s discussion.

Michigan Adopts Drinking Water Standards for PFAS

On July 22, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced that Michigan will adopt a new rule set creating the nation’s lowest drinking water standards for PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The standards went into effect last week, on August 3, 2020.  The current US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drinking Water Health Advisory for PFAS is 70 parts-per-trillion or ppt and is now starting its Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) process for PFAS.  Given the complexity of the PFAS science, and the emerging studies, the US EPA evaluation will involve 100s of toxicologists/scientists and is a multi-year process.  The new Michigan MCLs are:

The 8-carbon PFOS was phased out of production and use in 2002 and PFOA in 2015.  The new replacement, smaller PFAS (4- and 6-carbon PFAS) are generally considered less toxic and have radically short half-lives (time it takes for to remove half the PFAS from our bodies).

Drinking Water Supplies – The new standards will cover roughly 2,700 public water supplies around the state.  During MPART’s 2018 statewide sampling program, approximately 30 public water systems were found to have total PFAS results of 10 ppt or higher. 

Contaminated Sites – The new drinking water and groundwater standards will immediately result in 42 new PFAS investigations being added to MPART’s oversight.  Half of the sites are landfills, and more than a dozen are former plating or manufacturing sites.

Industry Discharge & WWTPs – Industries discharge effluents to municipal waste-water treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as directly to surface waters.  These Industries that use PFAS will be subject to monitoring by EGLE under these new regulations.  Municipalities will need to budget for testing, and possibly treatment of their discharge waters. 

WWTP Sludges or Biosolids – About half of the 7 million tons of sludges and biosolids generated annually in the U.S., are applied to farm fields and other land throughout the county.  The sludge offers farmers a cheap source of fertilizer. Although now, sludges containing PFAS may need to be shipped to landfills (assuming municipal landfills continue to accept these biosludges).

In addition to these industrial uses of PFAS, it is used globally in thousands of commonly used products such as food packaging, pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, popcorn bags, shampoos, and cosmetics (particularly eye shadow, foundation, facial powder, bronzer, and blush).  They are also used by industries as metal platers to reduce vapors and protect work health & safety. Although, PFAS does not accumulate in fat of animals like PCBs and DDT, it can repel both oil and water.

From a School to Apartments at St. James

Genesis Non-Profit Housing Corporation (GNPHC) recently completed the renovation of St. James Catholic School into St. James Apartments with ASTI’s assist.  The St. James Catholic School was built in 1903,  where the original building stood two stories tall including a sunken gymnasium on the first floor and a performance theater on the second.  In 2016, Geneiss NPHC approached ASTI to help with the environmental needs that come with major task of renovating an old school building into a new apartments.  After an initial assessment in became apparent that lead and asbestos were some of the main issues that would need to be taken care of prior to renovation.

After the initial assessment, ASTI completed a more in depth, Lead Inspection & Risk Assessment, and an Asbestos Inspection of the entire building.  From there ASTI also handled writing the bid specs in order to get a competitive contractor to complete the lead and asbestos abatement.  Once a contractor was found and abatement activities began, ASTI stayed onsite to help with oversite and clearance testing to assure the quality and safety of the abatement process. In additional to the management of lead and asbestos,  ASTI also performed mold testing and gave recommendation on changes that could be made during renovations to reduce the amount of moisture in the building and prevent a future problem. To round out the complete services that ASTI offered to GNPH. ASTI”s Engineering Group performed a noise assessment for the building to provide insight on new wall construction types in order to reduce noise pollution from the surrounding urban area. 

From 2017 through 2018 the building was completely transformed from a vacant school building into beautiful apartments.  The classrooms were renovated into single story apartments, while the gym was changed into unique two-story loft style apartments, and an elevator was added for convenience.  New windows were installed, along with all new heating and cooling systems. To wrap up the project, ASTI completed the final documentations for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to help Genesis NPHC capture funding assistance for the renovations.

Meet ASTI's Architectural Historian, Ashleigh Czapek!

Ashleigh joined our West Michigan Office, located in her hometown of Grand Rapids, MI back in 2017 and is a valued member of the team. Ashleigh has over 5 years of experience, and a Masters of Science Degree in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University. In 2017, she researched and authored the Glaister House’s (Lansing,MI) nomination for the National Register of Historic Places, which was ultimately accepted and added to the list later that year. When she is not out in the field, it’s likely that you will still find her outdoors. Ashleigh is an avid camper who loves kayaking and paddle boarding or finding a nice spot by the water to read a book. We are delighted to have Ashleigh as a part of our team and look forward to seeing what her and the entire West Michigan team will accomplish in the coming years.