Two months after the groundbreaking for the new Brookhaven City Hall, things are moving right along, according to officials.
Barnsley Construction Group Project Manager Steven Mauro said there have been no real surprises on the construction site, which is being built adjacent to MARTA’s Oglethorpe/Brookhaven station on Peachtree Road.
“We have done as much pre-analysis as we can do to the soil and rock,” Mauro told Rough Draft. “Things are going as we expected.”
Mauro was responding to swirling rumors that construction had hit granite –something that delayed the construction of the city’s public safety building a year prior.
In a Dec. 19 press release, Brookhaven officials said the construction site is “swarming with activity with several site-preparation benchmarks completed.” A water main has been rerouted and mass excavation is underway for the underground parking lot.
At the Dec. 19 Urban Redevelopment meeting, Brookhaven City Council members approved city hall-related items by consent, meaning the council is in agreement on the item and no discussion is held before a vote. Council members approved a list of contractors, as well as a request to amend the budget from $1.5 million to $2.2 million to address “unanticipated site conditions.”
A soil and water management plan issued by NOVA Engineering and Environmental LLC states: “There is no visible indication of site use that would currently be a significant environmental concern. However, according to historical research, the Subject Property was commercially developed (multiple operations) from at least the early 1920s through at least the early 1980s. Historical on-site commercial operations included automobile repair shops, filling stations, and dry cleaners.”
The majority of the soil may be reused onsite or removed. A map of the site shows two areas in which soil “must be excavated and removed” in accordance with rules and regulations.
The property has been used as a MARTA parking lot since the 1980s, according to the report.
As a result, Brookhaven City Council has approved entering the city hall construction site into the state Brownfield Program for extensive environmental testing and analysis, a memo states.
Mauro said at the city council work meeting the parking deck is about 50% excavated, and work is moving quickly.