The Salina City Commission on Monday considered another $367,636 in environmental monitoring work connected to the ongoing cleanup of contamination at the former Schilling Air Force Base.

The agreements cover groundwater, residential well water and indoor-air monitoring planned for 2026 and 2027.

Utilities Director Martha Tasker told commissioners the work is part of Remedial Design and Remedial Action Work Plan No. 7, which received approval from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on July 23.

Tasker said the city is anxious to resume groundwater sampling because the most recent round occurred during 2023 and 2024.

The proposed work is divided among three contractors:

Dragun Corporation: $299,827ALS Global USA Corp.: $57,390Pace Analytical: $10,419

Total: $367,636

Dragun will oversee work associated with the 2026 and 2027 monitoring program, which includes groundwater, residential well water and indoor-air activities.

ALS Global will perform laboratory testing of groundwater, residential well samples and wastewater generated during testing. Tasker said ALS costs have increased by roughly $30,000 compared with the previous monitoring period, largely because of additional PFAS testing requirements and a change in sampling methods.

According to Tasker, the cost of some PFAS samples has increased from roughly $175 previously to approximately $395.

Pace Analytical will conduct indoor-air sampling at 19 buildings. That portion of the work will cost $10,419, which Tasker said is only several hundred dollars more than comparable work performed during the 2023-24 period.

Monitoring Costs Increase

Tasker also provided commissioners with a comparison of Dragun's previous monitoring costs.

The 2023-24 work was approximately $234,684, compared with $299,827 proposed for the 2026-27 monitoring period, an increase of about $65,000.

Tasker said costs can change as broad remediation plans move into implementation and additional testing or regulatory requirements are identified.

She told commissioners the project currently has approximately $69.4 million remaining and said that, including the work presented Monday, the project remains roughly $2 million below its overall budget.

Salina Environmental Contractor Questions Timeline

The item also drew pointed public comment from Bill Serrault, Construction Manager for GreenField Contractors, Inc. of Salina.

Serrault's professional background is directly related to the type of work being discussed. GreenField describes itself as an environmental company specializing in groundwater and soil remediation. The Salina-based company lists soil-vapor extraction, air-sparging systems, air stripping, analytical sampling and the operation and monitoring of remediation systems among its services. GreenField says its staff has more than 40 years of experience in the field.

GreenField's company directory identifies Serrault as its Construction Manager.

Serrault criticized both the length and cost of the Schilling remediation effort, telling commissioners he believes more aggressive action should have been taken years ago.

“Thirty years ago, all that could have been cleaned up for $20 million,” Serrault said.

That figure was Serrault's estimate and was not independently documented during Monday's discussion.

Serrault also argued that delays allowed the contamination plume to spread beyond the former Air Force base and into residential areas.

“We allowed that plume to get across Schilling, into the residential area because we haven't done anything,” Serrault told commissioners.

He specifically pointed to remediation technologies including air sparging, soil-vapor extraction wells and air-stripping systems, saying systems should have been installed years earlier to address and contain the contamination.

Those are technologies GreenField itself lists among the environmental remediation services it provides.

Serrault also objected to the possibility of remediation continuing for decades.

“Now we've got a $50, $60 million deal, and it's going to go more than that,” Serrault said. “It could maybe go to 30 more years. That's not acceptable.”

He also questioned the amount of engineering and consulting work involved in the project, arguing that continuing billable engineering hours can add to the overall cost.

“It needs to be taken care of,” Serrault told commissioners.

Serrault's statements represented his professional opinion and assessment of the cleanup. No documentation was presented during his public comments establishing that the entire contamination problem could have been remediated for $20 million three decades ago.

Monitoring Continues in 2026 and 2027

Under Work Plan No. 7, groundwater and other sampling activities are expected to take place in August 2026 and again in August 2027.

The monitoring will help determine current groundwater conditions, evaluate residential wells and indoor air, and provide information required by KDHE as the larger remediation project continues.

The entities involved in the Schilling remediation include the City of Salina, Salina Airport Authority, USD 305 and Kansas State University.

Monday's item concerns the next round of monitoring and testing rather than the construction of a new full-scale remediation system.