PELL CITY – Councilman Greg Gossett told the mayor and council Thursday he would not vote to spend taxpayer money for the former Avondale Mills plant property without an appraisal, geological survey and proper soil testing of the 28-acre site.

Gossett also questioned whether the Alabama Department of Environmental Management actually collected and tested soil on the Avondale Mills Property.

Mayor Bill Hereford told the council that it was his understanding ADEM tested the soil on the old Avondale Mills property.

ADEM officials arrived in Pell City shortly after the old Avondale Mills plant caught fire on Valentine’s Day of 2008.

Workers were dismantling the old Avondale Mills plant building, so building materials could be reused in other building projects. A welder’s spark caused insulation to catch fire, eventually destroying the building.

“They (ADEM) came here about the water runoff,” Gossett said.

He said water used to contain the fire was running off the property and into a creek near the plant, causing a fish kill.

Gossett said he believed it was the water runoff that state officials were concerned about, not the soil.

“I’ve been involved in cleanups,” he said. “I’ve seen property tied up 12-15 years (because of contamination).”

He admitted there might not be any soil contamination on the property, but said soil tests are needed to determined if the property is free of hazardous waste.

Hereford said ADEM performed a Phase I environment study.

“You have not provided us with any environmental study,” Gossett said.

Hereford told the council that Pell City-Tifton Properties, LLC, which now owns all the Avondale Mills property in Pell City, agreed to sell all the property it owns in Pell City for $2.47 million or the well site along U.S. 231, and the 28-acre Avondale Mills plant site together for $2.2 million.

He said the company would only sell the property “as is.”

Hereford also informed the council at Thursday’s work session the city had money from a 2006 bond issue to buy all the Avondale Mills properties outright.

Gossett said the council approved massive budget cuts in the 2010 budget because of the current downturn in the economy.

He said five new police cars were slashed from the budget, along with a new fire truck for the fire department.

Gossett said the recreation department cut more than $200,000 from its budget, and he said that department also needs new work trucks.

He said there is a well site off Funderburg Bend Road, which is still not in operation six years after the well was drilled and ready to be put on line.

“Now we come up with all this money for property,” he said. “We’ve been telling citizens we’re in such bad shape, and now we’re jumping off and buying real-estate.”

Gossett said the council needs to concentrate on a new library site, not on all of the Avondale Mills property.

“I hear more negative about the city getting into the real-estate business than positive,” he said.

Gossett also said the council is being rushed to make a decision to buy the property.

“You’ve been negotiating this deal for a year,” he told Hereford. “Why do we have to make this decision in a matter of days?”

Hereford said Pell City-Tifton Properties, LLC, has made an offer, and he’s just bringing it to the council for consideration.

“Nobody wants to force-feed anyone,” Hereford said.

Hereford said he doesn’t believe there is any serious soil contamination on the old Avondale Mills property.

He said there is money available through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program that could support a possible cleanup — if there is soil contamination on the property.

“I’m personally willing to take that risk,” he said.

According to the EPA website, money is available through the Brownfields Program for efforts in reclaiming property contaminated with hazardous waste. However, an extensive assessment must be completed before an entity can qualify for the program. In addition, there is a 20-percent match of the amount funded by the EPA.

Gossett said there are possible liabilities with the purchase of the Avondale Mills plant property.

“You have a smoke stack on that property that is dangerous,” he said. “Are we going to fix it or bring it down? What’s the expense to fix it?”

Gossett also questioned whether the large water tank on the old Avondale Mills property is structurally sound.

Gossett said if the city did spend $2.2 million to buy the old Avondale Mills plant site between U.S. 78 and Cogswell Avenue and the well site along U.S. 231, the city would probably have to spend another $1 million to dress up the Avondale Mills plant site.

ADEM spokesman Scott Hughes was contacted Wednesday and Thursday about the Avondale Mills plant environmental study.

Hughes said Thursday he was trying to find out if his agency did any environmental studies of the Avondale Mills plant site, but as of Friday afternoon there was no clarification about the matter by the state environmental agency.