Page 9 - Nov/Dec Vol34 No5
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Before: The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina “Tweetsie” Railroad Company was utilized for of natural resources, expansion of parks,
passenger train service until the 1940s. After: Yee-Haw Brewing Company is part of a larger revitalization creation of trails, and access to the region’s
effort in downtown Johnson City. rivers. A percentage of proceeds during
Balter Beerworks’ opening week went
concentrations remained below established distillery by the Chattanooga Whiskey toward these efforts.
risk-based cleanup levels with no action Company. The Division of Underground
required. In February 2014, the two USTs Storage Tanks worked with the owners to The conservation efforts are also in
most recently installed were removed close an existing petroleum tank to make conjunction with a larger movement of
and the convenience store was razed. The the property transition possible. The Chat- breweries in Knoxville called the Knox-
Division of Underground Storage Tanks tanooga Whiskey Company produces one ville Ale Trail. Balter Beerworks is one of
was once again influential in working with barrel a week currently at its Tennessee the participants offering tasting rooms for
community partners to return this prime Stillhouse micro-distillery. Because the locals and tourists who want to get a taste
location to economic vitality. property was transitioned to viable use, of local brews. The website www.knoxvil-
CHATTANOOGA they will be able to utilize the additional lealetrail.com includes a map with the
space to meet demand with production in participating breweries and also promotes
The Universal Joint is a Chattanooga Tennessee rather than having to purchase other beer-related activities such as Knox
restaurant specializing in local, fresh food and import from other states. Featured Brew Tours.
including burgers, wings, salads, and fish. in Southern Living’s “50 Best Places in the
The restaurant, located across the street South,” the Tennessee Stillhouse micro- Also in downtown Knoxville, near the
from the Hamilton County Courthouse, distillery attracted nearly 20,000 visitors University of Tennessee campus, a former
occupies the site of the former Fountain during its first year. BP Mart had four active USTs. The Divi-
Square Gulf/BP, and Farrow’s Service Cen- KNOXVILLE sion of Underground Storage Tanks issued
ter Gas Station and Garage. a closure letter in 2013 and following dis-
A perfect example of a tourism and eco- covery of petroleum impacted groundwa-
Prior to becoming a restaurant in 2013, nomic collaboration evolved from TDEC’s ter about a month later, a site assessment
the site had a total of eight USTs, five of cleanup oversight efforts at a former Frank’s was deemed necessary. The site was then
which were installed in the late 1950’s and BP service station site in Knoxville. Located placed in closure monitoring until it met
early 1960’s. The remaining three tanks in a prime downtown location on the cor- clean closure requirements.
were installed in 1991 after the previ- ner of West Jackson and North Broadway
ous tanks were removed. The Division of Avenue, Balter Beerworks was developed The former BP Mart site now helps
Underground Storage Tanks coordinated on the site following clean closure. Balter serve a growing residential need in the
cleanup of the remaining three tanks Beerworks is a microbrewery employing area as a multi-story apartment complex
following a Phase II Environmental Site approximately 60 staff. An additional level called Evolve Apartments. In addition,
Assessment in 2002. In 2009, the remaining of economic impact comes from serving local businesses are pleased with the
tanks were removed after development of a mostly locally sourced food from vendors redevelopment not only for the aesthetic
new procedure by the Division of Under- including the Mitchell Family Farm, Flour- improvements in the community, but
ground Storage Tanks to evaluate soil gas head Bakery, Sweetwater Valley Farms, and also the increased foot traffic from local
analytical data from field samples to ac- Cruze Farm for a variety of menu items. residents.
curately indicate whether vapor inhalation They even have a tribute drink called “The
was a risk at a petroleum release site. Frank Bender” in honor of Frank Bender Located just minutes away also in the
who owned the BP station until 2005. Pay- heart of Knoxville, is a former Zoomerz
The Universal Joint restaurant interior ing homage to the past was important to facility which had five USTs. A release of
has retained the vintage architecture and the new owners in conjunction with their petroleum which impacted groundwater
displays numerous items related to the priorities for the business’s future. was discovered in 1992 requiring an assess-
site. Garage doors can be opened when the ment for the site. Based on the calculated
weather is nice and there is bar-type seating From the start, Balter Beerworks proved risk for petroleum contaminant levels that
built outside around the former dispenser their dedication to revitalization of the were identified, the site was placed into a
pump island located under the canopy. The West Avenue corridor of the downtown by monitoring only program until levels were
restaurant is preserving the past while con- collaborating with the Legacy Parks Foun- determined to be below applicable clean-
tributing to the growth in Chattanooga. dation. The foundation is an East Tennes- up level requirements. One of the five tanks
see non-profit dedicated to preservation was removed in 1997 and the remaining
Also in Chattanooga, a former Chevrolet ones were removed in 2007. The site is now
dealership is being transformed into a large a prime location for Mountain Commerce
Bank which services Knoxville and the sur-
rounding areas.
“We are pleased to join our community
partners in returning these properties for
productive use and restoring downtown
vitality in the process,” said TDEC Deputy
Commissioner Dr. Shari Meghreblian.
These are exemplary accomplishments by
our environmental professionals in the
Division of Underground Storage Tanks to
improve our communities.”
View online at tnpublicworks.com 9
