We Are Wolverine

House Street Remediation Update, October 12, 2023

As we previously shared on this blog, the planned work at our House Street property includes relocating and consolidating waste materials, along with construction of three separate engineered caps that will cover approximately 27 acres of the property. The approved Work Plan with complete details can be found at this link, and at this link we shared a general timeline and a figure showing the location of the caps.

To keep the community updated on the construction status, we will post period updates to this blog. To kick this off, please read below for a description of the work that RECON has completed to date and the planned activities at the House Street Property for the next two weeks. Also, see below for an excavation plan that shows the work areas.

HOUSE STREET CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS

September 18 through October 6
– RECON prepared the construction entrance, upgraded the site driveway, graded the areas for the site trailers, and placed the trailers in the laydown area.
– RECON began excavating soil within the contractor laydown area and future retention pond. That soil is not contaminated and will be used as berm material along the southeastern side of the Southwest Mound between Areas #11 and #8.

Week of October 9 through October 13
– RECON will begin excavating contaminated soil from Area #8 and placing it in the Southwest Mound. They will use the non-contaminated berm material to extend the berm as they advance through Area #8.
– Depending on how quickly soil removal from Area #8 goes, RECON will begin the same process in Area #6 and begin constructing the drainage swale along the west side of the Southwest Mound. They will then move on to Area #11.

Week of October 16
– RECON will continue/finish moving Area #11 into the Southwest Mound, continuing construction of the drainage swale.
– RECON will continue constructing the drainage swale along the Southwest Mound and moving contaminated soil into the Southwest Mound using the same methods described above.
– Depending on how construction progresses, and if RECON has excavated to design depth for the retention pond, they will begin importing stone for the bottom of the pond.

AIR MONITORING
– No concerns to date.
– Baseline air monitoring data is available at this link
– A guide showing how to read and interpret air monitoring data is at this link
– Also available are air monitoring results from the weeks of September 17-23, September 24-30, and October 1-7

Wolverine will be using this blog to keep the community informed as work progresses in the weeks and months ahead. In addition, residents with questions are encouraged to contact Wolverine directly at HouseStreet@wwwinc.com or (616) 866-5627.

Tannery Work Plan Approved

Wolverine Worldwide is pleased to announce that the Revised Response Activity Plan (“Work Plan”) it submitted earlier this year for its former tannery property has been approved with conditions by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). The approved Work Plan can be found at this link.

With the Work Plan now approved, Wolverine can continue preparing for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the groundwater interceptor system. This system is designed to intercept groundwater at the former tannery and prevent it from flowing into the Rogue River and Rum Creek. A detailed description of the system, including an illustration for how it will operate can be seen at this link to one of our earlier blog posts.

Next steps include continuing to optimize and refine the final layout of the trenches for the groundwater interceptor system, and completing the engineering and design of the temporary and permanent groundwater treatment systems. Additionally, we are identifying General Contractors to participate in the bidding process that will take place later this year. All necessary construction and regulatory permits are being pursued and site preparation is underway, including the removal of fallen trees and debris in cooperation with EGLE.

A summary of the anticipated upcoming schedule for prequalification, bidding, and mobilization is provided below.

October 20, 2023	Contractor’s Response to Request for Qualifications
November 30, 2023	Contractor Notification of Prequalification
December 2023	Final Design Completed
December 8, 2023	Bid Documents Available to Prequalified Contractors
January 2024	Construction and Regulatory Permits Received (assumed)
January 26, 2023	Bids Due
February 2024	Contract Award
Mid – Late April 2024	Mobilization

Wolverine Worldwide Selects Globally- Known Contractor for Environmental Remediation at House Street Property

Wolverine Worldwide is pleased to announce that it has selected RECON (www.reconservices.com) as the lead contractor to implement the approved remediation Work Plan at our House Street property in Belmont, including constructing the engineered environmental caps that are the centerpiece of the plan. For over 30 years, RECON has provided environmental remediation services across the country and around the world. RECON has constructed over 1,375 acres of landfill caps for federal and commercial clients.

As we previously shared on this blog, the planned work at our House Street property includes relocating and consolidating waste materials, along with construction of three separate engineered caps that will cover approximately 27 acres of the property. The approved Work Plan with complete details can be found at this link, and a figure of the property showing the location of the caps is included below:

Since the Work Plan was approved, we have already cleared trees and completed other pre-construction activities like applying for permits. Upcoming work will include constructing lay-down areas and office trailers, and likely removing some stumps and chipping some of the cleared trees (chipped materials will be secured over the winter to avoid erosion and movement throughout the site).

Work this fall will likely include stripping of some topsoil, construction of stormwater controls, some waste relocation (no waste will be left exposed over the winter), and stabilization/seeding for the winter. Air monitoring will be completed per the Air Monitoring Plan and air monitoring summaries will be posted on this blog .

Following a winter break to comply with frost laws, RECON will return to the site in the spring which will allow for the geomembrane caps to be installed during suitable weather conditions. They anticipate working April through November 2024, during which time most of the actual cap construction will take place. Then, in April 2025, they will return to reinforce erosion controls, permanent seeding, construction of access roads, etc. Completion is currently anticipated by December 2025.

Additional Details on Tannery Work Plan

Last month Wolverine Worldwide submitted a revised Response Activity Plan to EGLE seeking approval to install a substantially larger and more robust groundwater interceptor system at our former tannery property. This system is designed to capture groundwater and prevent it from flowing into the Rogue River and Rum Creek. You can review our full submission at this link.

We’ve received several questions about what the proposed system will include and how it will operate. Although we addressed many of these questions in a blog post last month, we created the below video to show the response plan in action.

We have already been working on the system design and are ready to move forward as soon as EGLE approves the plan and permits are issued. We anticipate completing the work in three phases and commencing field activities within sixty days of EGLE approval.

We will continue keeping the community informed about progress on this Response Activity Plan and other matters through updates on this blog, www.WeAreWolverine.com, and through information posted at kiosks and in other locations accessible to the public. As always, residents with questions or feedback are encouraged to contact Wolverine Worldwide directly at HouseStreet@wwwinc.com or (616) 866-5627.