UNDERGROUND TANKS AT ISSUE
On Aug. 11, 2023, Advanced Geological Services from Moraga, Ca., a provider of surface and borehole geophysics, conducts a geophysical investigation for underground storage tanks (UST) around the Palace Hotel in Ukiah, Ca., and presents its report to Geocon Consultants, Inc., a professional engineering consulting firm from Livermore, Ca.
On August 24, Geocon forwards the findings of the report to Matt Talbert, owner of Left Coast Restaurant in Ukiah.
The following is a summary of the report.
The sidewalk and the parking lanes on North State, Smith, and School Streets are scanned with ground penetrating radar (GPR) and a handheld magnetic locator to find USTs.
No UST anomalies are found on the sidewalk of North State Street. A small utility- sized anomaly, 6 feet by 3 feet, is found in the parking lane of the street, with a weaker amplitude than what is often seen for USTs.
On Smith Street, a round metal cap, about 10 to 12 inches in diameter is observed on the sidewalk, approximately 63 feet from the northeast corner of the Palace Hotel. The cap is opened and a flashlight shined down the pipe, showing a two-foot-long fill pipe, an empty space, and a shiny fluid at the bottom—a UST, about 13 feet long and about 4- 6 feet wide, about 1,000 gallons, partially filled with fuel oil. No pipe signal is detected leaving the UST and the inside of the hotel is checked for buried piping coming from this UST.
Another anomaly on Smith Street, possibly a UST, is identified on the sidewalk, 117 feet from the northeast corner of the hotel. There is an asphalt patch in the center of the anomaly, suggesting the area was previously investigated. The top of the anomaly is estimated to be 2 feet below ground.
A third UST about 13 feet long is seen on GPR scans in the middle of Smith Street, near the corner of North State Street and Smith Street.
On School Street, small steel plates, 12” by 16”, are found in the sidewalk about 56 feet south from the northwest corner of the Palace Hotel. The south end of this UST can be mapped out; however, the north end of tank is difficult to interpret on the radar scans near the tree. (See photo.) In the parking lane a buried anomaly is found but it is not clear what it is.
The photograph of Harley Branson, Palace Hotel Garage manager, next to a gas pump in front of the open doors of the Palace Hotel Garage on School Street, indicates there was a gas station south of this UST discovery. (See photo.)
In the general location of the gasoline tank are gas meters and high voltage lines entering and exiting the PG&E pull box. A tenuous interpretation based on a not-so- clear GPR scan indicates that there may still be a gasoline UST, about 40 feet long, probably 4 to 6 feet wide and about 4 to 5 feet deep.
(Possible corroborating historical evidence: 1.) Ukiah Republican Press, July 22nd, 1922, “Work will be started this week on a large concrete oil storage reservoir from which fuel oil will be pumped to supply the heating plant of the Palace Hotel;” and 2.) The National Register of Historic Places Nomination application form submitted by Palace Hotel owners on July 30th, 1979, states, “Eventually the main source of fuel became oil, kept in a 30,000-gallon storage tank, which is still there beneath an office machine [Kings Office Supply] store on the ground floor.”)
Summary of findings: A possible UST anomaly is found on N. State Street. Two actual USTs and one possible UST are found on Smith Street. One actual UST and a possible gasoline UST are found on School Street.
GPR scans over the metal anomaly found on School Street next to the fuel oil UST show something is buried there, but it isn't the characteristic UST anomaly. (See photo.)
End of the report.
On August 11th, 2023, Alpha Analytical Laboratories from Ukiah, Ca., an analytical laboratory network specializing in regulatory compliance analyses of waters, sediments and solids, performs testing and submits the results to Talbert on September 12th.
Following is a laboratory analysis of the samples.
Sidewalk W. School Street: Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons as diesel (4800 mg/kg); TPH as motor oil (3600 mg/ kg.); and Napthalene (6.9 μg/kg.)
Smith Street tank: TPH as diesel (770000000 μg/L); TPH as gasoline (70000000 μg/L); Toluene (56000 μg/L); and ethylbenzene, Xylenes, Isopropylbenzene, n-propylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, sec-Butylbenzene, p-Isopropyltoluene, n-Butylbenzene, p-Isopropyltoluene, and Napthalene.
School Street 1st floor, TPH as diesel (40 mg/kg.).
End of the report. On September 15th, the Guidiville Rancheria of California submits an application to
the California Department of Toxic Substance Control and the Regional Water Quality Control Board to determine which agency will be the appropriate lead agency to provide oversight for the assessment and remediation of the Palace Hotel site.
The application states the site is contaminated (see above reports from Geocon and Alpha Analytical, the results of which, although not formally necessary for the application, were communicated to DTSC and RWQCB) with potential ground water contamination. The Palace Hotel has been red tagged and deteriorated beyond retrofit.
Soil investigation is required directly below the building foundation and any investigation will require the building to be demolished and disposed of.
The Guidiville Rancheria is partnered with Matt Talbert, owner of Left Coast Restaurant, spearheading the project to transform the Palace back into a hotel with a mixed use, community-oriented, hotel development with commercial on the bottom and residential on top.
On October 11, 2023, the Guidiville Rancheria of California applies to the California Department of Toxic Substance Control for an Equitable Community Revitalization Grant of $6.7 million to demolish the building and perform the necessary underground clean up.
DTSC's mission is to protect California's people, communities, and environment from toxic substances and to enhance economic vitality by restoring contaminated land.
ECRG grants serve to expedite the investigation, cleanup and beneficial reuse of contaminated brownfields in California's historically vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
On September 29, 2023, City of Ukiah personnel inspect the Palace Hotel and determine it is structurally unsound, a public nuisance and at imminent risk of collapsing, endangering people and or property. The historical significance of the building cannot impede the protection of public safety.
On November 1, the City orders a CEQA exemption for the property.
On November 3, Twin Investments LLC, managing member Jitu Ishwar, is issued a notice by the City to demolish or stabilize the building and deliver a plan within 30 days.
On December 4, Twin Investments LLC submit a Plan for Deconstruction of Palace Hotel to the City after conferring with the City Building Inspector and other independent consultants.
The building owner has allowed a third party to apply for grant funds from the California Department of Toxic Substance Control to demolish the building, conduct soils testing, and develop a remediation plan to assess and then remediate and/or remove suspected contaminated soils and materials. Upon the
grant awardee receiving the grant, it is the intention of the owner to sell the property to the grant awardees.
From there, the grant awardee will confer with City staff about logistics for demolition.
There has been no grant funding from the DTSC up to this date.
Now, let's hear from those who, although they have a deep abiding love for the Palace Hotel, believe it's time for the building to come down.
Dick Selzer, Selzer Realty Property Management: “I would love to see the Palace restored; it was a beautiful building. Kuleto did a beautiful job restoring it cosmetically but a terrible job structurally; that's why the building is in the condition it is now.
“It's up to the owner to determine if the building can be saved. Although I believe he will come to the conclusion that it needs to come down, it's his decision—not mine and not the community's telling him what to do.”
Ross Liberty, Factory Pipe: “Like many others in our city, I have fond memories of the Palace Hotel.
“As much as I would love to see it restored to its past glory, it's in such a state that it would take more effort to bring it back than it could ever be worth. Those seeking to restore or preserve what has become a dangerous eyesore can't be bothered by such economic frivolities, making the Palace the third rail of local politics made worse by recent sensationalized editorializ
Aerial view of Palace Hotel accompanying Geocon's study of Underground Storage Tanks, Aug. 11th, 2023.
ing posing as reporting.
“I would not want to participate in such a project either as an investor or as a taxpayer.”
Kate Magruder, community theater artist/storyteller: “We've been waiting for Godot for a long time but I don't think he's coming. I'm beginning to imagine a new future for that corner. It would be a fool's errand to try to rebuild from the inside out— as sad as that is.”
Rusty Eddy, Fetzer / wine industry public relations, “We should stop wallowing in the past. I've got great Palace memories, too, but I'd like to use the Palace as the heart of a new and revitalized Ukiah that welcomes everyone. We have plenty of historic monuments already.”
Leslie Bartolomei, Bona Marketplace: “The Palace Hotel has been an eyesore in the middle of Ukiah for way too long and needs to come down. I've been very hopeful that the new poten
tial buyers can move forward with their plans to demolish the hotel and build it back better with a beautiful destination hotel that will breathe new life into the downtown.”
Martha Barra, local vintner: “The building has deteriorated to the point where the City had no choice but to condemn it. It definitely needs to come down; it has become a health and safety issue. It will never be anything but an eyesore for any kind of development unless we take it down.”
Cynthia Cole, founder of Friends of the Palace Hotel, simply says, “Tear it down.”
John Arteaga, designer/ builder: “The idea that that ruin is going to be propped
up…the cost of doing that is so overwhelming that it's simply never going to happen. There's no economically feasible way to rehabilitate the building. It needs to be torn down. A government entity is the only entity that can deal with that now.”
Tom Liden, co- chair of the Friends of the Palace Hotel: “Sadly, I strongly feel that we have reached the point where restoration of the existing Palace Hotel is cost prohibitive and unrealistic. We have to move forward. Fear of fire or collapse is too great.
“I commend the years of efforts of all involved, including Friends of the Palace, Minal Shankar and the present group, for their efforts to resolve the Palace dilemma.
“I look forward to the day that I find myself sitting at the gorgeous new Palace Bar enjoying a glass of Mendocino wine.”