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In my 5+years of environmental consulting work in San Joaquin County, I cannot recall a project that proceeded more smoothly or resulted in the remediation of such a large volume of soil contamination in so short a time All parties, including Mr Knoll, were very satisfied with the results that were achieved by this group of environmental professionals and the teamwork that was exhibited on this project Initial response from the State Underground Tank Cleanup Fund was also favorable, and it is my understanding the Mr Fisk was commended by Fund personnel on the way the project was handled and the thoroughness with which the project costs were recorded and reported Unfortunately, six months have now passed, and the Fund has yet to live up to its Letter of Commitment and release any reimbursement to Mr Fisk Total cost of the project exceeded $300,000, which is a vastly larger sum than J & L Market could possibly afford on its own Hence, all of tht, companies that were involved in the project (except Excelchem, which was paid by Upgradient Environmental), have been forced to absorb the costs of their services This has created major financial hardship for all of the parties concerned This has occurred despite the fact that Fund personnel (specifically Annabelle Mackey) have repeatedly assured Mr Fisk that the paperwork has been reviewed and found to be in proper order, and that funds should be forthcoming shortly i Furthermore, it is my understanding that Messers Fisk and Hoblitzell have spoken recently with Mr George Lockwood of the Cleanup Fund and that Mr Lockwood has raised objections to the way in which the project was conducted, claiming that a "Site Characterization" involving soil borings and/or monitoring wells should have been conducted before excavation was approved by EHD In view of similar criticisms raised by Mr Lockwood on other projects with which Upgradient has been involved, including at least one example where he has overruled both Yuba County and Central Valley Regional Nater Board staff recommendations,pit appears that Mr Lockwood feels that he alone possesses the experience,judgment, legal knowledge, and integrity to identify the best course of action at contaminated sites The fact that I have a Ph D degree in geology from Stanford University and have been a registered California geologist since 1978, or that I could have increased Upgradient's profit potential on this project by at least ten-fold by drilling numerous wells and installing and operating an in-situ vapor extraction system, seems to tell Mr Lockwood nothing about my experience,judgment, or integrity Moreover, it appears that Mr Lockwood does not recognize Harlin Knoll's authority to approve the Site Contamination Work Plan that was submitted I was unaware that San Joaquin County's Local Oversight Program had been stripped of its jurisdiction Because Mr Lockwood's comments to Mr Hoblitzell and Mr Fisk are in such stark contrast to the assurances that Mr Fisk had previously received regarding Fund reimbursement, Evans Trucking has liened J & L Market Elite IV may be forced to seek recourse against J& L Market in the courts This could forcd J & L Market into bankruptcy proceedings Unless the objective of San Joaquin County EHD is to witness the financial demise of highly credible environmental contractors and consultants and such pro-active Responsible Parties as Mr Fisk, I believe it is incumbent upon you to see that EHD staff under your supervision maintain close contact with staff at the State Fund and