A deal that would have sold the abandoned Koeppel Ford dealership on Jericho Turnpike to Chaminade has been squashed, at least for the time being, when it was found that there was a gasoline leak on the site.

A sale of the Koeppel Ford property, located on both the north side and south side of Jericho Turnpike, to Chaminade High School, which would convert the space to an athletic and activities facility, was in the works. However, procedure requires a study of the site, during which a leak that could have come from a gas tank that was on the site was discovered.

The contamination has apparently put a stop on the sale of the land until it is cleaned up. Currently, tests are being conducted in the area around the site to determine if there has been any contamination to the surrounding properties, which include the Jackson Avenue School, one of the elementary schools in the Mineola School District.

Village of Mineola Attorney John Spellman said that testing is being conducted under the auspices of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Although he was not aware of any test results, Mr. Spellman said that the tests are ongoing near the property to determine the extent of the contamination and whether a plume exists and whether that plume is traveling and if it is, how far it has traveled. The water flow from the area is said to be traveling in a southwest direction.

While Chaminade and Koeppel had been in negotiations for the sale of the land, a phase I study was done to identify any possible contaminants on the site. Because the site was used as an automobile dealership and had a buried gasoline tank, a phase II study, required the removal of the gasoline tank and the testing of soil samples. "Apparently from the results we saw, there was some gasoline leakage. The preliminary numbers they came up with showed a lot of gasoline in the soil and it got a little bit into the groundwater," said Bob Byrnes of Dvirka & Bartilucci, the engineering firm employed by the village.

Testing for possible water contamination began in the areas around the site. According to Byrnes, about five to 10 monitoring wells have been placed in the areas around Koeppel Ford. Once test results have concluded the extent of the contamination, the DEC will institute a remediation plan.

While the deal between Chaminade and Koeppel seems to have been put on hold because of the results of the environmental study, Chaminade's president Father James Williams still hopes to be able to purchase the land after it is cleaned of its contaminants.

"It's definitely not squashed yet. They [Koeppel] need to do a little work first. We still remain very interested," Fr. Williams said. "My understanding is that they are cleaning it up."

Like Mineola's Jackson Avenue School, Chaminade High School is also located near the Koeppel Ford property. Fr. Williams though expressed confidence in Mineola Mayor John P. Colbert and village officials. "They all tell me that at this point in time, as far as they know, there is no danger to anybody," Fr. Williams said.

Chaminade also has been willing to have monitoring wells put in on the campus to test to see if any contamination has spread.

Superintendent of Schools for the Mineola School District Dr. Larry Licopoli has also been cooperating with the efforts to see if, in fact, the contamination from Koeppel Ford has indeed spread to surrounding areas. Monitoring wells have been placed on the Jackson Avenue School campus to see if contamination has spread that far.

"It's unknown what the extent is but we've been working very closely with the village in monitoring this," said Dr. Licopoli. "We're working cooperatively with the village every step of the way."

Dr. Licopoli said there is no reason to believe there is any eminent danger to anyone in the Jackson Avenue School building. However, Dr. Licopoli said the school district is following a very cautious path in the testing process. "We have to do the testing and then when we get the test results back, we will act on it accordingly," he added.

Mayor Colbert said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken over the spot and the responsibility of cleaning it up will fall on the shoulders of Koeppel Ford. "What you have is a leakage of gasoline and different derivatives of the gasoline. How bad it is, I don't know," the mayor said.

Mayor Colbert was not alarmed about the situation, but did express concern. "Naturally, I'm concerned if we have a spillage and it gets into the plume and moves itself southward. But, at this point, I don't know of anything yet. How far it has gone, I don't know. The tests that are going to be done will give us a better idea of what is there," he said.

As of press time, results from the testing were not yet available.