Bristol SB LLC, the applicant of Strada Verde Innovation Park, and TriCal Inc. announced June 23 a safety agreement that covers a wide range of measures from repairing trains tracks to moving part of its operation out of the county. The agreement went into effect April 29. Strada Verde will pay all costs for the move.
The agreement will implement safety measures at the facility and TriCal will fund the first of three components of the agreement:
- Specific protective safety measures at the facility that the company has or will soon complete are above what is currently required by law
- Additional safety measures for chemical storage and formulation activities at the facility that the county may require as part of its consideration of the SVIP project.
TriCal, is a distributor and applicator of agricultural soil conditioning and fumigation products located north of Hollister along Highway 25. Strada Verde is a proposed 2,770-acre project adjacent to Trical described as a research and development project for autonomous and electric vehicles with 27% of construction going toward e-commerce and distribution warehouses.
The company has drawn attention from slow-growth advocates who have circulated a petition for a ballot initiative to create a 3.5-mile buffer zone around the company’s facility
The fumigant company has operated at the location without significant incident for 40 years.
“Along with the 109 employees currently based out of its Hollister facility, TriCal is, and for more than 40 years has been, a proud member of the community, and will continue to be,” said Paul Niday, company president. “If the Strada Verde project is approved, the company has agreed to relocate only its filling and bulk storage operations to another location for various reasons that include the continued diversification and growth of its business.”
According to the agreement, TriCal will continue to use the facility for office space, laboratories, shop, paint booth, equipment storage, storage of chemicals in cylinders and trailers, and staging for equipment and personnel.
As part of the agreement, Strada Verde guarantees there will be no cost to the county or taxpayers.
“Our agreement with TriCal address all of the issues raised in previous studies regarding operations at the TriCal facility and ensures that if the SVIP project goes forward it will help the community achieve an extremely high level of safety associated with the TriCal facility,” said John Patterson, president of SVIP, in the release.
The agreement is available on the San Benito County website.
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