HERC Hazmat Reports

In spring 2023, the City contracted with Hazardous Building Materials Consulting, LLC to carry out a limited Hazardous Materials Assessment of HERC 1 (big building) and a comprehensive assessment of HERC 2 (little building). The results reveal that both buildings contain hazardous materials, as expected due to their age and the prevailing construction materials utilized in the 1950s. Examples include lead paint, asbestos, and materials like paint and varnish that harbor PCBs.

In 2025, the City utilized the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation's Brownfield Assessment and Cleanup (DBAC) program to complete a comprehensive hazardous materials inventory, including soil characterization to determine the extent of contaminated materials potentially released into the drip line of the HERC buildings. The inventory was used to complete an Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA). The ABCA evaluates five cleanup alternatives with rough order magnitude cost estimates to assist informed decision-making on the City’s objectives of demolition and eventual site repurposing.