By Karen Kennedy
Several citizens have voiced concerns about a potential threat to the city’s water supply from the proposed construction of a Rickers gas station at 146th Street and River Road, but Carmel City Council member and Plan Commission Chair Kevin “Woody” Rider would like them to understand why he feels those concerns are unfounded.
“The PUD (planned unit development) for this land was created in 2007,” Rider said. “At that time, the area was approved for uses that would include a gas station. That was the time to voice concerns about water. I am not going to listen to the opinions of paid consultants. I am going to listen to the EPA, IDIM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management,) city utilities and city engineers. If they say it’s going to be safe, then I believe it’s going to be safe.”
Plans by Turkey Hill to open a gas station in the same location in the past fell through. However, Rider wants to clarify the facts behind that for anyone who tried to make the argument that Turkey Hill’s plans failed because of safety issues or city regulations.
“We did not run them (Turkey Hill) off,” Rider said. “Their business plans changed. However, they had already spent $150,000 of their own money on an independent safety study. Rickers will benefit from that information, and has incorporated some of those safety points into their own plans.”
Those plans include triple tanks (which is more than is required by the EPA) and a dry detention area that holds twice the capacity of a tanker.
“Tanker trucks drive on 146th Street all the time,” Rider said. “They drive all over our city. No one wants a tanker accident to occur, but if it did, the Rickers station would be the absolute safest and best place to contain it.”
Ultimately, according to Rider, if the city does not deem it safe, it simply will not happen, but he does not anticipate any problems. Representatives from the city engineering and utility departments will make their final recommendations on the project in a public Special Use Committee meeting on Aug. 6.