The costs for cleaning up lead-contaminated soil in Joplin parks will range from about $400,000 to $1.5 million, depending on the amount of soil that has to be removed.
The Joplin City Council this week authorized a contract with Crossland Heavy Contractors Inc. for the work. Costs will be paid from a $2.4 million grant the Environmental Protection Agency announced last week to help the city with lead cleanup.
Parr Hill and Garvin parks were closed in June as a result of the detection of heavy metals in the soil left by 2011 tornado damage. The other two city parks in the tornado-damage zone, Cunningham and Mohaska, were tested, and no contamination was found.
City officials believe the contamination came from soil or chat that was exposed when trees were uprooted and houses were destroyed. Mining was done in the central and western parts of the city, and chat from the mines is believed to have been used in building foundations for houses in various parts of town.
The city has posted signs at the parks to notify people about the closures. Parr Hill Park is at 15th Street and Kansas Avenue. Garvin Park is at 28th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Because of Joplin’s mining history, the city had an ordinance that required testing of soil at properties where children might be present. After the tornado, the ordinance was expanded to include properties in the tornado zone.
It is not known exactly how much soil will have to be removed and replaced. The city took bids on a base amount of removing 6 inches of soil and replacing it with 6 inches of clean soil, seeding grass and repaving any parking areas.
Six contractors bid on the work. The base bids for Parr Hill Park ranged from the wining bid of $353,189 to a high of $581,200. Bids on Garvin Park ranged from $40,094 to $63,873.
Part of the EPA money is being used to help eligible residents replace contaminated soil in yards.
The city has 55 applicants approved for assistance, with 23 more in the application steps.
Free soil tests are available from the Jasper County Health Department. Those may be requested by calling 417-358-0475 or 877-879-9131.
Applications for the cleanup program are available in the city’s building department on the fourth floor of City Hall, 602 S. Main St. The program coordinator, Leslie Heitkamp, can be reached at 624-0820, ext. 544.
Notification
OFFICIALS ARE UNCERTAIN how long the parks will be closed. The city will notify residents when they are ready to reopen.
Local News
Contractor hired for Joplin parks soil cleanup
- Local News
-
-
Joplin sends team to help Moore
A team of public safety workers from Joplin were deployed Monday night to assist in Moore, Okla.
-
Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
-
Vandals cause $37,000 in damage at Joplin business
A Joplin business owner was the victim of a weekend vandalism spree that resulted in an estimated $37,000 in damages and theft, in addition to putting the company out of service for at least two days.
-
Mike Pound: My wife hid the clutter so well, I may be missing
OK, now I’m worried. Late Sunday afternoon, my wife announced that she was going to clean up our kitchen and our family room. When she made that announcement, our 15-year-old daughter, Emma, and I laughed because, at the time, our kitchen and family room were sort of cluttered.
-
Joplin council meeting canceled due to storm forecast
Storm forecasts have caused the Joplin City Council to cancel its meeting tonight.
-
Carthage School Board meeting is postponed
The Carthage School Board meeting set for today has been postponed for due to threats of severe weather.
-
Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
-
Alan Marble, Crowder College president, to retire
After 27 years with Crowder College, President Alan Marble has announced his plans to retire on June 30, the formal end of the academic year. “It’s just the right time,” Marble, 58, said in a telephone interview Monday morning. “I’ve enjoyed, I think, every minute of these 27 years, but it’s time to move on to the next challenge.”
-
EF1 tornado hit Carthage early Monday morning
Clean-up was underway in Carthage after winds estimated at 90 to 100 miles an hour damaged buildings and toppled trees and power lines in the Carthage area just after midnight early Monday.
-
Federal agency proposes adding two Missouri mussels to endangered species list
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will host a public meeting in Joplin Tuesday and another meeting later in the week in Southeast Missouri to provide details and answer questions about adding two freshwater mussels to the endangered species list.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Joplin sends team to help Moore
