Street view of the former Van Brunt Street Car Barn, now home to the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department's soccer complex

E. Ninth St. and Van Brunt Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64124
United States

Summary

The site, located at E. Ninth St. and Van Brunt Blvd. in historic Northeast Kansas City, was previously used for streetcar maintenance, bus maintenance, body shop and fueling facility. The site has since been transformed into a community-gathering place and youth soccer complex, including an all-weather soccer field, amphitheater/ event plaza, walking trail and concessions building with restrooms.

Background

This 15-acre site is located at E. Ninth St. and Van Brunt Blvd. in historic Northeast Kansas City. The site was previously used for electric street car maintenance, Area Transportation Authority bus maintenance and a public works body shop and vehicle fueling facility. Contamination was encountered when the concrete slabs left from the former structures were broken up and crushed into gravel to be used for fill.

The city of Kansas City enrolled the site in the department's Voluntary Cleanup Program and received a Certificate of Completion in September 2010. During subsequent concrete removal and site grading for redevelopment activities, contractors encountered a black granular material in the shallow subsurface. The city reentered the site in the department's Voluntary Cleanup Program for additional cleanup and substance removal.

Environmental Issues and Cleanup Process

The department's Brownfields/ Voluntary Cleanup Program (BVCP) staff provided remediation oversight. During the first cleanup, lead-contaminated soil was excavated and the remaining contaminants were capped, thereby managing the environmental risks. To facilitate the planned development proposed for the site, site-clearing activities began on May 16, 2011. Trees, brush and other debris were removed from the site and concrete slabs left from the former structures were broken up and crushed into gravel to be used for fill. During concrete removal and site grading activities, a black granular material was encountered in the shallow subsurface. Test pits excavations indicated the material was spread just below the ground surface across a large portion of the site. The material was sampled at the city's request. The lab results indicated the sample exceeded the 2006 Missouri Risk-Based Corrective Action (MRBCA) default target levels for arsenic, lead, selenium and naphthalene. However, only the lead concentration, 1,600 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), exceeded the Tier 1 screening level.

Based on the elevated lead concentration of the material, and the proposed future use of the site as a youth soccer complex, the city proposed managing the material on-site. The site reentered the department's Voluntary Cleanup Program and the proposed remedial plan was approved. The lead-impacted material was excavated using track excavators and transported to the southwest portion of the site, to be placed into the lower portion of the proposed all-weather soccer field. After placing all lead-impacted material into the excavation, a minimum two-foot thick layer of clean clay fill was used to provide a protective cap. An approximate one-foot thick layer of crushed concrete was placed above the clay cap, followed by the drainage system and turf for the all-weather soccer field. 

Funding Sources

  • Congressman Emanuel Cleaver helped the city secure $2.5 million in federal funding
  • $2 million city sales tax
  • U.S. Soccer Foundation grant provided $500,000 for turf installation on one of the soccer fields
Redevelopment

For more than a year, the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department worked to transform the intersection into a community gathering place and soccer complex. The three athletic fields – a new artificial turf soccer field and two natural turf practice fields – sit on a 12.4 acre site in historic Northeast Kansas City. The complex also has a 360-seat amphitheater/ event plaza, 1.5-mile walking trail,  parking lot, landscaping and concessions building with restrooms.

Project Partners

  • BVCP Project Managers 
  • City of Kansas City, Parks and Recreation 
  • Burns and McDonnell (environmental consultant)
  • TitanBuilt (general contractor)
  • SFS Architecture, SK Design Group, Vireo, BGR Engineers 
  • Construction Management Resources, Professional Service Industries Inc.
Environmental and Economic Benefits

The Victory Project held its annual Recycle Your Game clinic at the Ninth & Van Brunt Athletic Fields. The philanthropic initiative gives local youth in underserved communities the proper equipment they need to play soccer. Soccer equipment donations were collected at a variety of events, which provided new and gently used soccer gear to more than 50 children from a nearby elementary school, followed by a one hour clinic with the kids in attendance.

Institutional Controls

  • Soil capped to prevent exposure
  • MRBCA Guidance Tier 1 Non-Residential
Timeline

BVCP Project Identification 

  • SMARS #11989

Assurances Received

  • June 22, 2009 - Letter of Agreement Received
  • Sept. 14, 2010 - Certificate of Completion Issued
  • Aug. 29, 2011 - Letter of Agreement Received
  • March 20, 2014 - Certificate of Completion Issued

Contact Information