Springfield, Illinois – Work has begun on the demolition of a former Cargill-Pillsbury plant on the northeast side of Springfield, Illinois, and Environmental Protection Agency representatives are keeping a close eye on the process.

The plant, which is almost eighty years old, is now owned by Ley Metals Recycling, Inc. The company purchased the plant from Cargill Corp., a Minneapolis-based organization. The former flour mill is currently classified as an ‘enterprise zone,’ meaning it might qualify for sales and property tax breaks if redeveloped.

Many residents of the area hope the building will be demolished and the site redeveloped. David Briggity Sr. and wife Ola number amongst them—they live just south of the plant and say that they frequently get run-off from the plant when it rains.

Although many locals and officials have assumed a demolition was planned, the new owners haven’t yet applied for a demolition permit for the site. New owner Jim Ley says he’s not ready to announce any specific plans for the site as yet.

Regardless of what Ley’s plans for the former Pillsbury plant turn out to be, the EPA will be keeping a close eye on the project.

Tests that were carried out several years ago indicated the present of asbestos at the site, and the EPA visited the property this week after locals had expressed concern that work on the site had already begun.

However, the EPA did not find any evidence that any violations, including illegal asbestos removal, had occurred. Maggie Carson, an Illinois EPA spokesperson, said that while workers had been removing items from the site, no asbestos-containing materials had been removed.

In addition, Carson said that the asbestos present in the plant is contained, and the EPA does not consider that the asbestos poses any public health hazards.

She also said that if any asbestos is disturbed during the course of any work carried out on the site, the EPA has to be notified. “Anytime you’re going through a demolition process, a business like this would have to document that the asbestos is being managed properly, or that it is being removed in an appropriate way.”

The owner of the plant must also apply for a permit to demolish the plant, and must remove any potentially hazardous asbestos materials before demolition is carried out. Demolition work can potentially release large quantities of asbestos fibers if the material is not removed beforehand, and in cases where asbestos is involved, demolition is generally regulated more tightly.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 9:51 am and is filed under Asbestos Abatement, Illinois. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.