Demolished motel in need of asbestos containment and removal

Collinsville, IL – The state of Illinois is ordering the city of Collinsville to properly remove and dispose of a very large amount of asbestos left behind in a recent demolition project.

The city tore down Beck’s Lodge, a vacant 40-room motel, on January 14 after a fire destroyed the building back in December 2006. According to a complaint filed Tuesday by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, more than 10,000 square feet of material that contained asbestos was left behind improperly contained.

The agency is requesting the Attorney General’s Office to require the city fence off the property and to continuously wet the material until it is properly moved to a landfill approved for asbestos-dumping. Wetting the material prevents asbestos dust and fibers from spreading through the air.

A city official reported that the IEPA had not contacted the city about this matter beforehand. He said the city was already in talks with environmental consultants to create a cleanup plan that involved the actions the IEPA was requesting, and that the consultants had informed him Tuesday morning that the plan had been verbally approved by the agency.

An IPEA spokeswoman said that they were following standard procedure to ensure that the process was completed quickly and properly, and that a part of that procedure was to get the Attorney General’s Office involved to enforce the law. The city, however, claims they haven’t been contacted by the office yet.

Several neighbors reported they were happy that the motel was going away. Police had been called there on many occasions to deal with issues involving domestic violence and excessive noise, and officers had often arrested motel guests who had outstanding warrants.

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