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State
EPA threat halts work
at Morton East
Chicago Tribune
- 3/20
Construction
of a freshman center for Morton East High School scheduled to
open in 2004 has been halted because the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency says no plan was approved for remediation of
possible contaminants in the soil.
The
Cicero school's consultant is scrambling to file reports that
will satisfy the agency on efforts to prevent potential health
problems. The issues arose because of heavy industrial use of
the 18-acre property for more than 80 years.
School
officials hope the state will approve the plan quickly so construction
can resume within a week. But state EPA officials indicate a review
could take as long as three weeks.
School
officials do not think the snag will derail the $30 million project's
target opening date of fall 2004.
"From
a procedural standpoint, we had missed a submittal [of a report],"
said John Frankenthal, hired by the district as project manager
of the environmental investigation. "It really is as simple
as a procedural issue that got kind of mixed up."
In
a September 2002 letter to Morton District 201 Supt. Jay Cunneen
and Frankenthal, state EPA Project Manager Jennifer Seul stated
that construction was not supposed to begin until the remedial
plan was approved. But the district moved ahead.
When
Seul visited the district's Web site about two weeks ago, she
saw photos of construction on the project.
"I
was surprised they were as far along as they were," she said.
"I was displeased because I had warned them earlier"
to first gain the necessary approval.
After
construction and before anyone occupies the building, the agency
must give the site a clean bill of health.
In
August, the district enrolled in a voluntary state EPA program
in which the agency reviews the school's plans to clean up or
minimize the effects of pollutants such as oil, lead and arsenic
that have accumulated in the ground. Under that program, school
officials agreed to halt construction.
Since
the early 1900s, the area between 16th and 19th Streets near 54th
Avenue has been home to a variety of industries. Soil tests have
been conducted since August. Seul said some dirt has been removed
and fresh dirt is being brought to the site.
District
201 bought the property about 1 1/2 miles northeast of Morton
East three years ago. Administrators hope the freshman center
will provide a better transition for students from 8th-grade schools
in Elementary District 99 that feed into the high school.
Morton
East has nearly 4,000 students.
"We're
bulging at the seams," said James Kurth, assistant superintendent,
adding that for many students the move to the much larger high
school setting has been "too big of a jump."
The
state review typically takes two to three weeks, Seul said, but
Frankenthal said he was looking for the review to be done in a
week or less.
"We
would hope that the state would accelerate that review process,"
he said. "We don't think that's an unreasonable request."
The
district extracted soil samples Saturday from as deep as 12 feet,
and an analysis of those samples will be included in the report
Frankenthal said he hopes to file this week.
Seul
said the district probably would not need to break up the concrete
foundation that has been laid. She said the building can help
minimize the environmental effects of the pollution.
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