Bank Midwest

Location: 301 S State Street, Fairmont
Nominated by: Braun Intertec; City of Fairmont

Bank Midwest is a retail bank branch located in Fairmont. It was built upon two lots- an unpaved, empty lot, and the site of an old VFW building. The site where the cleanup occurred is 1.42 acres and is in the middle of downtown Fairmont. The first known use of the site was for agricultural purposes. Around 1954, one half of the site was used as the lot for the local VFW post. The other half was used as a gravel parking lot. The VFW post was relocated in 2011.

During site remediation, three feet of treated wood pavers were discovered in the subgrade over approximately half of the total site. The wood pavers were believed to be from former downtown streets, as wood pavers were historically tryyused in downtown Fairmont. The calculated BAP equivalent exceeded Tier 2 Industrial Soil Reference Values and Tier 1 Soil Leaching Values. In addition, DRO was detected at a concentration of 110 mg/kg. The primary reason for the cleanup was the presence of the treated wood pavers as unpermitted dump materials with the potential to impact soil and groundwater.

Remediation including removing all treated wood and contaminated fill soils that were intermingled with the treated wood, and disposing properly in the landfill. Excavation operations were observed to verify that all of the debris and contaminated fill had been removed and that only the un-impacted native soils remain on site. A total of 6,883.21 tons of treated wood and contaminated fill were removed from the site and disposed of at the SKB landfill in Austin, MN.

The site is now home to a local bank that supports individuals and businesses in the City of Fairmont. It also relocated nearly 30 well-paying jobs to the area, which increases foot traffic at the local mall and surrounding retail businesses. The presence of a bank increased the visibility of the adjoining properties with the additional patrons who utilize the new building. The redevelopment has also spurred development/revitalization in the area: a new auto parts store is being constructed across the street from the site, and the nearby mall is now at capacity.

Project financing:

• DEED

Project Partners:

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• City of Fairmont
• Minnesota Department of Economic Development
• Bank Midwest
• Tech Builders, Inc.
• Braun Intertec
• Beemer Companies, Inc.