PIERCETON - Property which the town could get for free would likely cost quite a bit.

James Townsend told the Pierceton Town Council Monday that he is concerned with the property located at Market and First streets and told council members that the town could acquire it simply for the asking.

However, environmental problems exist on the land, where a gas station at one time operated and the buried tanks are still in the ground.

"This council's not going to put the town in that kind of jeopardy," said council president Ron Hall. "We're working on it ... it's just a slow, drawn-out process."

The building on the property is falling down and the sidewalk is caving in, according to Townsend, who sees it as both an eyesore and a hazard. Townsend said he did some research on the property and learned that it is owned by the county because of unpaid taxes.

Town attorney James Walmer pointed out, though, that the county has never sought to have the land deeded to it because of the liability involved. The property has twice been advertised for tax sale, but no interested buyers came forward.

"It's unknown what environmental hazards are on the property besides the gas tanks," Walmer said. "It's too much of a risk for the town to take on the property wth the unknowns that exist there." He added that the land could have diesel fuel, gas or oil in it and that the cost for cleanup for such contamination is open-ended. "You don't know what you're going to get into when you start digging on that property," Walmer said.

No records exist with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of the gas tanks being buried there, Walmer said, because they were put in "long before the laws" regarding underground tanks. IDEM has visited the site in the past, but officials there are apparently unsure of its status.

Steps are being taken to have the property cleaned up, Hall said, but it will likely require help from both state and federal sources.

In other business, the council:

• Signed an ordinance for placing a stop sign in the industrial park.

• Tabled action on trash bids until the figures can be reviewed. The matter will be addressed in public session prior to a quarterly employee meeting set for 7 p.m. Dec. 17 in the community building.

• Set a year-end meeting for 7 p.m. Dec. 30 in the community building.

• Announced that town employees will continue to pick up bagged leaves. Residents should call clerk-treasurer Janet Castle or superintendent Brad Bailey to arrange for the bags to be collected.

The next regular meeting is at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 in the community building. [[In-content Ad]]