Kansas City construction site still contains asbestos after three years
Back in June 2006, Community Development Corp. of Kansas City (CDC-KC) was accused of improper demolition of over 100 homes, burying tons of asbestos-containing materials at the Citadel Plaza construction site. A settlement agreement with the Missouri state attorney general in December 2007 called for CDC-KC to spend $300,000 to clean up the asbestos, spend another $100,000 on environmental education projects by December 2009, and pay a $50,000 penalty.
Now, three years after the initial accusation, very little cleanup has taken place. The Citadel Plaza site, meant as the future home of a proposed shopping center, still contains so much asbestos contamination that the grass cannot be mowed unless mowing crews wear protective respiratory gear and take samples to make sure asbestos fibers do not become airborne.
CDC-KC has already paid part of the penalty it is responsible for, and an attorney representing the developer intends to make good on the rest of its settlement agreement, but the city has not yet advanced the $20 million it needs to complete the site acquisition and preparation. The City Council is awaiting a report to determine whether or not the developer has met its obligation before advancing the money for the development project. If the obligations have not been met, the council said that CDC-KC should be removed from the project and another developer should be found.
For the full story, go to The Kansas City Star.
