Augusta National Golf Club, renowned for the upkeep of its famous golf course, is doing far grittier work on the other side of Berckmans Road - cleaning out toxic sludge.
It's such a dirty job that the club put a barrier around the property so neighbors wouldn't have to watch.
Behind the chain-link fences covered by green tarps on a lot fronting Washington Road, crews are drilling monitoring and extraction wells to pump out contaminated soil, Masters Tournament Senior Director Buzzy Johnson said.
According to the state Environmental Protection Division's Hazardous Site Inventory, the property has high levels of tetrachloroethene, or dry-cleaning fluid, in its groundwater left behind by Silverstein's cleaners.
Inhaling or ingesting the chemical, a central nervous system depressant, can cause drowsiness, headaches, loss of coordination, mood changes, faintness and dizziness, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. At high levels, it can cause collapse, coma and death.
There's a well within half a mile of the Silverstein's site, but EPD doesn't suspect anyone has been exposed through drinking water, the inventory says.
BCRE Investments, one of several land-buying limited liability companies linked to the National, purchased the Silverstein's building and a row of brick stores including the Washington Road Barber Shop for $1.1 million in 2000, and later demolished them.
Mr. Johnson said the National is only leasing the property from BCRE - whose address is the office of club member and Blanchard & Calhoun President Thomas Blanchard Jr. - but it's taking care of the contamination. The parcel is part of the club's massive grass parking lot for Masters Tournament patrons.
"We're just trying to do the right thing," Mr. Johnson said.
After inspecting the perimeter of the site last week, city officials said the National's desire for privacy might have gone too far. The fence is nearly double the height allowed by city code.
License and Inspection Director Rob Sherman said last week that the club would have to shorten it or apply for an exception, but after speaking with Mr. Johnson, he concluded there's no violation.
Because the club says the fence is only temporary, Mr. Sherman said, he considers it a construction barrier.
"If it were a permanent fence, then they would have to apply for a variance," he said.
The fence serves a double purpose, Mr. Johnson said. Cars had been cutting through, going around Jay's Music & Sound Super Center to bypass the traffic signal at Washington and Berckmans roads, and the National didn't want them running over PVC pipes sticking out of the ground.
Mr. Johnson said it also shields neighbors from unsightliness - heavy equipment, storage tanks and tall drill stands.
"This will hopefully be down in the next few months," probably by mid-March, he said.
Reach Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225 or johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
From the picture, it sure looks like the posts are dug into the ground and I believe that makes it a permanent structure. Of course if BUZZY told the city it would be OK then who are we to argue? I'm sure it's in our best interest to allow the Holy Masters do what they want.
Why don't you go out there and clean it up you friggin idiot
dissman.......let them do as the like...it is for the good of the City. After all The Masters is Augusta's only claim tol fame.
Thanks to the National for doing the right thing and not trying to get the county to do it like with the other clean-ups. They once again prove their generosity.
rufus, it takes 1 to know 1. What is the difference between a friggin idiot and a regular run-of-the-mill idiot. I had rather be a friggin idiot than a name calling idiot. Doesn't "friggin" connotate sex?
Good that they are doing the right think. They could have just let it go and never said a thing. Dissman, what have you got against the Augusta National. They only do things to better Augusta and the name of golf. Aae you mad because you are not a member or do not get tickets? Think about the very very large amount of money that comes into Augusta during the tournament. Other cities would love to have a venue like the Masters Golf Tournament.
All I said was it looks like a permanent fence to me. By the way I wonder why all you idiots aren't allowed to see what the club dosen't want you to? And another thing, why do they hide the club fromidiots like you? Don't you get it, they just don't like you and your kind!! P.S. I wonder if the city is going to enforce zoning laws or not? If the D--- fence id too high then why shouldn't they have to take it down? As for the clean up, its their property and they have to clean it up by law, it isn't because they just decided to. Personally I could care less if they clean it or not. I will close by saying I hope Mr Sherman, dosen't tell anyone else in the county that their fence is too tall!
WW1949.......Pay no attention to the people that come into this room and complain about everything and show disrespect...for just about every one and every thing. The guy you were speaking of... I can smell Low Self Esteem all over him...he should try to be nice so he can go to The Big Car Races In The Sky.
Amazing comments here. Realize the National just donated tens of millions to various organizations in the Augusta area last week. I'm not a member of the National by a long shot, but I appreicate what they do for Augusta.
Well, His name is disssman. You should expect disses from him.
Just like someone with the nickname "tiny" will be fat. I wonder why the dissman didn't gig the FAT CAT Bernie Silverstein for his pollution of the site? Also,to the rest of you, does this tetrachloroethene cause birth defects? You might want to know.
This is what I found out about tetrachloroethene........this is from the material safety data sheet.............. warning! harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through skin. causes irritation to skin, eyes and respiratory tract. affects central nervous system, liver and kidneys. suspect cancer hazard. may cause cancer. risk of cancer depends on level and duration of exposure. AND YES IT'S IN THE GROUNDWATER.
Well..... if you don't have a well around there so it gets in your drinking water it probably won't be a very big problem unles you go roll around in the dirt at the site. Turns out that since all the land has been bought and no one lives there any more it is now probably safer than ever. The casual Masters guest who just walks across it will not get a significant exposure. It is true that the land owners still have a responsibility to clean it up even if it does not pose a significant public health issue. On a slightly related note, I recall as a kid there was a dry cleaner shop at the end of the block from the local community grocery store near home. It always smelled of dry cleaning fluid all around the place, even though they probably did not intentionally dump it; forty or fifty years ago the rules for containment of hazardous materials were not nearly as clear and strong as they are now.
Interesting info for me in particular. That well they mentioned belonged to my mother who used it during and after my birth until city water was brought down Heath Drive. I wonder how long before and after her using that well did Silverstein contaminate the water underground. The problems I now have with my nervous system could be related to the water my mother drank when I was being carried in the womb and while she nursed me. Who can I sue about this?
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