JEFFERSONVILLE — All requirements relating to a hazardous landfill now met, the River Ridge Development Authority voted during a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to acquire a 45-acre parcel containing the landfill — and several hundred more acres along with it.
The board's unanimous vote Tuesday accepted deed conveyance of four parcels totaling almost 850 acres. This leaves just one Army-owned parcel, or 288 acres, left for River Ridge to acquire before it owns the full 6,000.
"The subject matter of [the resolution] has been many, many years in the making," Mark Robinson, president of the board, said during the meeting.
The board's vote marks the end to a stalemate with the U.S. Army, wherein the Army withheld transfer of additional parcels to the commerce center because River Ridge was not prepared to take ownership of the hazardous waste landfill.
The board passed a resolution in May 2014 that stipulated four conditions must be met before it would agree to transfer of the landfill: The Army retain full responsibility in maintaining the landfill; the Army continues to be responsible for any cleanup and remediation once River Ridge owns the landfill; the landfill's cap is repaired to the satisfaction of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management; and River Ridge is protected against liability for potential cleanup costs and property damage.
Robinson said ticking these items off the checklist took persistent efforts from several parties, notably Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., and Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind.
“This is great news for River Ridge Commerce Center and our local communities," Donnelly said in a statement Tuesday. "Today’s action by the River Ridge Development Authority board resolves a long-standing dispute in a way that protects the health and safety of Hoosiers, while freeing up River Ridge to proceed with significant new redevelopment projects that will bring new businesses and new jobs to Southeast Indiana."
Two of the four parcels transferred to River Ridge during the special meeting are "prime property" on either side of the future heavy haul road, River Ridge Executive Director Jerry Acy said.
"So we have a tremendous amount of interest already on this project right here," Acy said.
He said the remaining parcel the Army still owns could become River Ridge property as soon as the middle of next year.
River Ridge, which spans the Ohio River between Jeffersonville and Charlestown, is home to more than 40 companies and about 6,500 jobs.