Reinventing Ourselves

Ceres Associates is going through an interesting time right now, we are in the process of reinventing ourselves. It is a sincere effort to reach out to our client base and provide them what they really need and what they really want. Instead of being that old-school environmental engineering firm, like most of our industry represents, we want to become the Virgin Airlines of our industry, a company that offers substance and fun. We can do most of this on our own, and we expect that it will take some time. If there is anyone with some great ideas on how we can be the company that clients want to hire, we would love to hear them.

Need Funding, try the OSCA

When a property owner finds out that a underground storage tank (UST) is located on their property, they usually have a mild reaction -- perhaps a cough. But when that same owner is then told that the UST leaked and may costs $100,000s to fix. . . well, they do more than just cough.

Though, in California, the UST Clean-up Fund does provide an incredible amount ($1.5 million) of financial assistance, if the site/owner doesn't meet the Fund's strict guidelines they are DENIED. Here's where the Orphan Site Clean-up Account (OSCA) comes to the rescue. The OSCA (a sub-part to the Fund) is designed to pay for assessment and remediation of sites impacted from petroleum-fuel USTs. The OSCA has the same $1.5 million limit as the Fund, but the strict permitting requirements are foregone.

The key to the OSCA is there can't be financially viable Responsible Parties (RPs) in the title history of the Property. Though it hasn't come to it, the OSCA does provide for priorities of assignment where the property lies within a set distance of sensitive sites, located in a HUD zone, or is a Brownsfield site. Payments from the OSCA are much quicker than the Fund, and all reasonable costs associated with work required by the local regulator are reimbursed (this includes the removal of the problem UST).

The great thing about this funding mechanism is that now property owners with leaking UST issues have financial support to get their sites to closure. The OSCA is a powerful tool for developers and property owners who are looking to redevelop former gas stations, Brownsfield sites, and other infill locations. Don’t shy away from that next property because the Phase I indicates the potential for a UST; do some additional due diligence and perhaps you may find a property that is truly a diamond in the rough.

Click here to apply.

We Need Some Good People

What is it about this industry that makes it so difficult to find good registered employees. Ceres Associates is poised to take on some substantial growth, but we do not want to take on the growth unless we have the right people to sustain that expansion. Not only that, any new employee would have to be fun to be around. Work hard and have fun that’s what we do. Maybe by putting out this simple blog, someone out there somewhere who fits the bill will say “hey, that’s the company for me,” and send a resume to nickpatz@ceresassociates.com. Professional Geologists and Engineers who want to work in the Los Angeles Area or the San Francisco Bay Area, we are looking for you.