While all people including landlords agree that children and adults should not have to live in housing that contains excessive levels of lead, cockroach dust, and radon, I do not see any solutions being offered in this new "campaign" Will there be funding available for property owners to correct the contaminated houses or apartments?
I have done numerous lead abatements on buildings that I renovate. Since I have my own crew, I can do a laed abatement for around $3,000 to $4,000 on an average 3 bedroom house. A lead abatement company will charge anywhere between $10,000 to $18,000 for the same job. For newer property owners, this could become an excessive burden, especially for newer landlords. Another potential problem could arise. One can not do a lead abatement with people occupying a building. When a building has been identified with the need for lead abatement, where are the tenants going to go? If the owner can not afford the cost, we might start to see more vacant buildings and all of the problems associated with them. Most of these units would fall in the category of being affordable. Unless there is some sort of safety net, the shelters will be filling up soon. Steve Meldahl Jordan (work) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gregory D. Luce" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'mpls issues'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 9:19 AM Subject: [Mpls] A Press Release for 3rd (and 5th) Warders to Munch On > This just in and now out . . . > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > Campaign Hotline: (612) 521-LEAD Contacts: Ambur > Klein (612) 221-7304 > > Gregory Luce (612) 221-3947 > > PROJECT 504 LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CAMPAIGN > > Campaign to Document Indoor Environmental Hazards in North Minneapolis > > JANUARY 10, 2003 - MINNEAPOLIS. Saying that it is time to invest in > the environmental health of North Minneapolis and its children, Project > 504 announced today the initiation of an environmental justice campaign > that will call into question the spending on airport noise mitigation in > South Minneapolis while lead poisonings continue to occur > disproportionately among children of color in less affluent and more > racially diverse North Minneapolis neighborhoods. > > The campaign, focused on the four North Minneapolis neighborhoods of > Hawthorne, Jordan, Near North, and Harrison, will train 10-12 community > members in February how to document and test homes for indoor > environmental hazards, including lead-based paint, radon, and > cockroaches. Project 504 will use the data to request increased > financial commitment to prevent further damage to the communities' > children. > > "We need to stop using children as lead detectors and start removing > environmental hazards from the home before they poison or hurt," said > Francisca Rivera, a long-time Hawthorne resident and one of six > community advisors for the campaign. > > The campaign promises to paint a sharp contrast between the response of > governmental officials to environmental pollution in South Minneapolis > and the environmental poisoning of children in North Minneapolis. Since > the early 1990's, at the prodding of community activists such as current > Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, government agencies have spent nearly $200 > million in noise mitigation measures in predominantly white and more > affluent South Minneapolis neighborhoods. Activists with Project 504 > and others say North Minneapolis children also deserve the same > commitment to protect them from known environmental hazards. > > "When noise pollution affects people in South Minneapolis, we have found > a way to correct that at no cost to property owners," said Ambur Klein, > Project 504's coordinator for the campaign. "The same thing should > happen in North Minneapolis, where kids continue to be poisoned by a > different and more lethal hazard-- lead-based paint." > > Project 504 is one of ten groups nationally to launch local campaigns > around indoor environmental hazards. Other cities in which campaigns > have started include Chicago, New York, Hartford, Houston, San Diego, > and New Orleans. Funding for the campaigns has come largely from the > Washington D.C. based Community Environmental Health Resource Center > (www.cehrc.org). > > # # # > > _______________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
