Ohio town places lien on asbestos-contaminated fire site property
The city of Elyria, Ohio has voted to place a $40,000 lien on the former General Industries property. Fire ravaged the property in July 2008, and the property owner did not have insurance at the time. Because the owner also did not have the money to complete cleanup of the fire debris to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, the federal agency is taking control of the cleanup. Because the EPA will likely place a large lien on the property when the cleanup is finished, city officials wanted to move quickly to be the first lien in line.
The city’s lien will cover the amount it had spent on clearing bricks and debris from the streets surrounding the property after the fire. After the Ohio EPA determined that the pile of debris was contaminated with asbestos, the city also had to pay to erect a fence around the two square block area. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that was commonly used in building materials. The lien will not, however, cover the largest expense, the overtime and the manpower spent by city employees to put the fire out and control the crowd of onlookers. Police and fire protection are provided to all taxpayers, and the city does not seek reimbursement even for large events.
For the full story, go to The Chronicle-Telegram.
