Published: September 03, 2008 10:31 am            

Clarksville Town Council drops Marathon Oil suit

Legal action taken by the Clarksville Town Council to appeal a permit allowing gas storage tanks near the site of the former Colgate-Palmolive Co. plant was dropped by the council Tuesday.

“It is to our advantage to drop the suit,” Council President Paul Kraft said before the council voted unanimously to dismiss action taken in July to appeal an air-quality permit issued to Marathon Oil by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Kraft said the suit was filed in an effort to meet with Marathon officials about their future plans with the site, which town officials would like to see moved upstream to the Port of Indiana — Jeffersonville.

Town officials met with Marathon representatives last week. Kraft said the company doesn’t have plans to move the tanks — which store emergency jet fuel — any time soon.

Town officials are particularly interested in the tanks — there are seven total situated close to the banks of the Ohio River — because of the redevelopment potential of the shuttered Colgate-Palmolive plant.

“If Colgate develops, that’s right behind the Colgate property,” Kraft said.

A concept plan for the Colgate site is in the works by Jeffersonville architects The Estopinal Group. Town officials have listed hotels, high-rises, condominiums, boutiques and restaurants as possible commercial uses for the site, which has an asking price of $13 million.

At least two offers have been made on the site, but nothing has been finalized, according to previous Evening News and Tribune reports.

Redevelopment Director Rick Dickman told the newspaper last month that the gas storage tanks could hinder the redevelopment.

“I don’t think you could get the maximum development and still have them there,” Dickman said.

In other business

• The council adopted a measure designating the Parks and Recreation Board as the agent overseeing agreements associated with the Lewis and Clark trail. Parks Superintendent Brian Kaluzny said this would simplify the process of the board negotiating agreements related to property acquisition and design associated with the $1.2 million project.

• The lowest of three bids was approved to purchase a new vehicle for the Wastewater Department. The $21,261, 2008 Chevy Equinox to be purchased from Coyle Chevrolet in Clarksville will replace a 13-year-old Jeep Cherokee that was passed down from the police department. Councilman Bob Popp — who asked if the state bid list had been considered — cast the lone dissenting vote. Councilman Greg Isgrigg said he preferred purchases be made locally and not from a company on the state bid list that doesn’t pay taxes in Clarksville. 

• A $500 expenditure was approved to cover the cost of the creation of an on-hold phone message with licensed music from the Richmond, Va.-based company On Hold Marketing. The town currently plays the radio when callers on hold, which is considered a violation of copyright laws.

        

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