CEDARBURG — Cedarburg city officials recently received a structural analysis of the north facility of the former Amcast site on Hamilton Road and Johnson Avenue and an update on the site as a whole.
The city hired structural engineering firm Ambrose Engineering to perform the assessment. Nicholas Chow of Ambrose conducted the visual assessment of the north facility on April 30 and then presented the report to the Common Council and the Community Development Authority during a joint meeting on June 24.
The report states the developer and owner of the property, DJ Burns of Drake Consulting Group, had stated interest in reutilizing the existing precast and steel framed portion of the addition along the far north edge of the original facility and the two, one-story steel-framed structures at the southeast corner.
Chow explained there are four remaining structures on the northern site: two, one-story, steel-framed buildings referred to as the Tool and Supply Rooms at the southeast corner of the site; a two-story structure identified as the Quality Room and Men’s Locker Room; and lower level of the addition at the far north edge of the facility.
Chow’s visual assessment was to identify areas of deterioration, distress or deficiencies that may require immediate attention.
Chow said no immediate attention is required for the Tool and Supply rooms.
“However, those two buildings have open doors and windows and other holes in their building envelope which allows moisture in,” he added.
The north addition also didn’t need immediate attention, Chow said.
“That addition used to have a one-story roof structure above it which was removed after 2008. So what you’re seeing is actually an elevated first floor and then there’s a basement below that,” Chow said. “Construction of the first floor consists of precast concrete planks that are supported by a steel frame structure.”
But like the Tool and Supply rooms, Chow told the council and CDA that exposure to the weather has led to some deterioration and long-term moisture and air are going to further lead to corrosion.
As for the Quality and Men’s Locker Rooms, Chow recommended immediate attention.
“Based on our visual assessment, the roof structure is in poor condition,” he said. “Portions of the wood framing along the south side of the second floor are unsupported as a portion of the (Concrete Masonry Unit) wall has collapsed.”
Chow recommended that the city conduct periodic visual monitoring, similar to what Ambrose did.
City Administrator Mikko Hilvo said the cost of annual monitoring could cost approximately $2,000. He added that further conversation is needed and no decision has been made on that.
Later in the meeting, City Attorney Mike Herbrand said that in the developer’s agreement, it required the developer to raze the buildings on the site, except the office building on the corner of Hamilton Road and Johnson Avenue.
Hilvo provided an overall update about the Amcast site to the council and CDA.
In August 2023, city staff, on behalf of the council, sent out a request for a work plan to Burns to address safety and security concerns on the Amcast property.
“We did receive a reply but we still need some verification that items that are in the main building have been removed and some of the security measures are taken,” Hilvo said. “We’re still not 100% on the same page on that so we’re working on that with them.”
Hilvo added that Drake Consulting needs to submit a site investigation work plan to the DNR.
Hilvo reported that the EPA will need to procure a contractor — he is not aware if they have hired one or not — to scope the Remedial Design which was estimated to be completed at the end of 2025.
“After then the project will then get prioritization for federal funds to be allocated … EPA cleanup scheduled earliest by 2030 with completion by 2033 if funding is available,” Hilvo said.
The EPA has stated that it will prioritize the residential areas first and then clean up the Amcast site.
DNR still needs to find funding for 10% of the superfund project, which amounts to approximately $4 million. Hilvo said the DNR recently submitted to the state for funding for the next budget years.
“There is also a city share that is required as contribution towards that remediation,” he added. “That is one thing we need to continue to discuss, it is what that city share is, is it already the money we spent on the site … or is it something else.”
The city will also need to determine whether the development on the site should occur prior to EPA cleanup.
“If the city chooses to do cleanup prior to the EPA coming, there will be no federal or state funds allocated towards that,” Hilvo said. “The funds would be through the city or through the developer to do any sort of testing or remediation on that site and there is no reimbursement.
“If it’s determined that we wait until cleanup for redevelopment, then the city needs to consider what we do with the remaining building on that site.”