Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has hired a geologist and plans to engage an environmental lawyer to explore whether groundwater contamination from the former American Beryllium Co. plant in nearby Tallevast devalued airport property.
Larry Sims, a Rockledge-based geologist, will monitor a Department of Environmental Protection investigation and will interpret those results for airport officials, said Dan Bailey Jr., legal counsel for the airport.
"We want to see what the data says and see if we have a problem first before going to the legal team," Bailey said.
Airport officials are chiefly concerned with the 18-acre Suncoast Golf Center, which the airport owns and which falls within a contamination plume identified by Lockheed Martin Corp., former owner of the beryllium plant.
Lockheed has accepted responsibility for cleaning up the contamination.
"Any pollution today that we may have only affects the golf course," said Fred Piccolo, airport CEO and executive director.
The airport chose the law firm of Holland & Knight to represent it in possible future litigation.
Bailey and airport authority members seemed unperturbed by a potential conflict of interest between the law firm, the airport and Lockheed Martin.
Holland & Knight represents Lockheed and a group of other entities at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site in Orange County.
But Lockheed has waived any conflict with the law firm representing the airport, Bailey said.
Fees related to the contamination will be paid for from a professional services budget maintained and replenished annually by the airport.
The budget runs around $275,000 a year.
"Traditionally, we use about three quarters of it," Piccolo said.
Though the pollution issue for the airport is only in the exploratory phase, Bailey and Piccolo said they don't envision it involving large sums.
"At this time, our expenses are minimal," Piccolo said. "We're going to ask to recover damages should we pursue some legal relief."
