Kent County Awards ASTI Contract for Hazard Mitigation Plan

ASTI Environmental is pleased to share that we have been selected by Kent County to develop FEMA 5 Year Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) Development Services for Kent and Ottawa counties and the City of Grand Rapids.  This plan will include hazard, vulnerability, and risk analysis for each included city, township, and village for both Kent and Ottawa Counties. 

ASTI has completed single entity HMPs for cities and multi-jurisdictional HMPs for counties statewide.  Previous experience, including two HMP updates (one ongoing) for Allegan County, has familiarized ASTI with West Michigan’s unique hazards and mitigation needs.

ASTI’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Development Services can be contacted at 800-395-ASTI, twacker@asti-env.com or www.asti-env.com.

Staff Spotlight: Pam Chapman

Although Pam is not new to our company, we would love to give her a shout out as one of the hard working members of our Brighton office. Pam joined us in 2019 as the Group Leader for Phase I Environmental Site Assessments.  She has over 30 years of experience in the environmental consulting world, with a focus on transactional related services.  Pam graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Civil Engineering.  She is not only an Environmental Professional, but a Professional Engineer.  When not at work, Pam’s passion is Arabian race horses.  She also holds the title of LRHT – Licensed Race Horse Trainer!

Staff Spotlight: Welcome, Gage Frankevic

ASTI Environmental is thrilled to welcome Gage Frankevic to the Phase I team in our Property Services Group.  Gage comes to us from the University of Toledo where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a minor in Anthropology.  This is Gage’s first  professional position after college, and he is very excited to excel in his career.  When he is not hard at work he enjoys hiking and camping as well as cooking and baking.  Some fun facts about Gage are that he has a cat named Sabertooth that has kept him company while working from home and he loves root beer!

ASTI Assists With Historic Peterboro Arms Restoration

The Coalition On Temporary Shelters (COTS) provides a variety of services to disadvantaged Detroit citizens throughout the city.   A long-standing jewel of their services is Peterboro Arms, located at 26 Peterboro Street north of downtown and just west of Woodward Avenue.  This historic building opened in 1924 as the Hotel Imperial, and featured 250 1-, 2- and 3- room suites.  The 9-story building operated as a hotel and featured a variety of amenities, including a large dining area and the Club Imperial that opened in 1938 and operated into the 1960s.  In 1984, the building was bought by COTS and began operating as a shelter for many of Detroit’s homeless citizens.  Over time COTS’ focus has shifted to partnering with families, providing them with an array of housing (temporary shelter and affordable housing) along with supportive services that create opportunities for them and their children to succeed.

In 2016, ASTI began assisting COTS with their environmental needs associated with the renovation of this historic building.  ASTI completed a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment which identified challenges in addressing former dry cleaning operations on and around the property, former automotive repair operations around the property, a gasoline underground storage tank (UST) in a nearby structure, and asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP) in the structure. 

Additional Phase II activities investigated the recognized environmental conditions (RECs) and potential vapor encroachment conditions (pVECs).  ASTI’s investigations did not identify any exceedances of regulatory criteria on the property. 

An ACM inspection and LBP inspection and risk assessment were completed on the property and identified several ACMs throughout the building and LBP on multiple components.  Lead dust hazards were immediately addressed, cleaned, and verified with clearance sampling; however, a larger task around upcoming renovations remained.  ASTI assisted general contractors and abatement contractors with coordinating abatement activities and providing clearance testing of areas throughout the building for these materials.

From start to finish, ASTI has assisted with documenting environmental conditions and cleanup activities and providing final documentation to qualify for funding assistance through the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority (MSHDA).Renovation is now complete and the building features 56 apartment units of affordable housing for families.

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.