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Planned demolition draws fire

Activists worry that demolition work at the abandoned public works compound will further contaminate the site.

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published August 15, 2006

	[Times photo: Keri Wiginton]
	Ronnie McLean protests the planned demolition of buildings at the former Department of Public Works site in Brooksville on Monday. McLean, who is running for the County Commission, joined residents of Mitchell Heights and other activitsts who say they want proof that tearing down the buildings won't releae asbestos and other carcinogens. Go to video

A handful of south Brooksville activists picketed outside Hernando County's abandoned public works compound Monday morning, promising to bar the compound's gates before they let the county tear down buildings there.

The county, meanwhile, said the scheduled demolition will begin today.

"We have all the necessary authorization, so we're going to proceed," said county engineer Gregg Sutton.

It's the latest chapter in an increasingly tense tug of war between county officials and activists who have long criticized the county's failure to clean the site. While neighbors want the site cleaned up, they are also suspicious of the county's efforts.

"How are you going to trust them when they keep doing everything behind our backs?" said Richard Howell, president of the Mitchell Heights Health Awareness and Restoration Board.

He complained that the county failed to keep neighbors informed about cleanup efforts, including the removal of asbestos floor tiles from one of the abandoned buildings.

He's worried that there's more asbestos still in the buildings and that any demolition risks exposing residents to the cancer-causing fiber.

"The only thing we're saying is stop it until we can see it," said fellow activist Paul Douglas.

Sutton said he'd be happy to provide Howell and Douglas with any documents they need as well as the weekly update that he e-mails to county officials and members of the media.

Sutton said the county commissioned an asbestos assessment of all buildings on the site. The contractor identified 230 square feet of floor tile in the old sign storage building at the northwest corner of the site.

A licensed asbestos removal contractor removed the tiles Aug. 2, Sutton said.

"So the site is asbestos-free," Sutton said.

The county plans to tear down the sign storage building, as well as several sheds along the west and southwest borders of the property, the pump island canopy in the south-central section of the 5-acre site, and the large shed at the eastern edge of the site.

The county will also remove the two trailers at the front entrance that used to house the public works offices.

Many of those buildings have been added since the county purchased the site in 1955. In the intervening five decades, the county expanded its operations to include road repair and paving, road striping, mosquito control, truck maintenance and refueling.

The county stored gasoline, diesel fuel, pesticides, paint and solvents in tanks and drums. Through leaks and spills, many of those chemicals contaminated the dirt and groundwater with carcinogens like benzene and arsenic.

At the same time, the largely black Mitchell Heights subdivision expanded along the site's southern edge. Neighbors complained that white silt blew from the site into their yards and homes and that oily runoff ran into their yards.

The county received its first warning about the pollution in 1991. During the next 14 years, the county spent more than $1-million on three different cleanup consultants.

Their efforts didn't work. A St. Petersburg Times review found poor oversight and years of missed deadlines. A new consultant hired in the past year found contamination in areas thought to be clean.

Last month, he found arsenic and lead above the state's residential limits in three of the neighbors' yards. At least 17 neighbors notified the county of their intent to sue for property damage and personal injury.

The state Department of Health is preparing a health risk assessment but has already determined that there is no immediate health threat to residents. The department continues to analyze the long-term risks and expects to have a report by late September, said Randy Merchant, a state environmental toxicologist.

Neighbors and activists, including Howell, have been pushing the county to get the site cleaned up. But now Howell criticizes the county for removing "evidence" without notifying the community.

On Monday afternoon, the county provided Howell with additional documentation regarding the asbestos removal.

Howell said he thinks that the buildings are riddled with asbestos, arsenic and lead and that the county is tearing them down to hide it, despite the county's reports showing the buildings are asbestos-free.

"We don't believe none of this data that we're looking at," Howell said.

Pam Vazquez, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the agency is overseeing the cleanup, said the county is following the rules. The county has kept the DEP informed. There were some clerical errors with the asbestos notification, but those have been corrected, she said.

She said air monitoring two days after the asbestos removal found nothing unusual.

She also said she has spoken repeatedly to Howell and Douglas and tried to explain the situation to them.

"We understand that they are dubious about some decisions that were made and are being made. It's our job to help them understand the process they are going through," she said.

County Commission Chairwoman Diane Rowden said she appreciates the activism of Howell and Douglas but fears they are making a tense situation worse.

"I don't think that their agenda right now is for the best interests of the people in Mitchell Heights. I really don't," Rowden said. "They don't even live there. They are just trying to incite additional fears, and what we're trying to do is eliminate those fears by getting this out of there."

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352 754-6127.

[Last modified August 15, 2006, 06:39:59]