This is a few years old, but it has background on some of the B.F.
Nelson site matters that Barry Clegg mentioned.
Steve Brandt
Neighborhood reporter emeritus
Star Tribune
Paper: STAR TRIBUNE (Mpls.-St. Paul) Newspaper of the Twin Cities
Headline: Northeast neighbors press officials on proposed park //
Little has happened because of pollution questions. Now there's a
strategy to get some answers.
Date: 10/22/00
Section: NEWS
Page: 03B
Edition: METRO
Byline: Steve Brandt; Staff Writer
Graphic: MAP
Correct: CORRECTION PUBLISHED 10/25/00: This article incorrectly
reported the last name of Kathy Carlson, a Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency employee.
Length: 16.7
Subject: minneapolis;neighborhood;park;pollution;hazardous material
Slug: PARK22
First it was a sawmill. Then it was a roofing plant. Later the
land was cleared for a freeway. But the neighborhood stopped the
freeway. Now the 28-acre parcel beside the Mississippi River has
been vacant for almost 30 years. So residents from a northeast
Minneapolis neighborhood summoned
public officials to a meeting Saturday to seek answers about when
the park they want is going to become a reality. Residents of the
St. Anthony West neighborhood learned that no
ground is likely to be turned anytime soon. But they developed a
strategy that will at least answer some questions about anticipated
pollution on the site. It's known as the B.F. Nelson site, after the
former roofing and
insulation company. It lies between NE. Main St. and the river,
just upstream from Hennepin Avenue. It sprang into prominence
recently when the company was identified as one of two that
received asbestos-containing ore from a Montana mine. Although a
walk-through of the site by investigators has found no evidence
that ore byproducts lie on the surface, state officials suspect
that buried soil may contain asbestos. Plans for a park emerged after
the Minnesota Department of
Transportation sold the land to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation
Board in 1986. A plan developed with neighborhood residents in 1990
called for trails and natural plantings, without ball fields. But
little has happened since, except for neighborhood-funded overlooks
built along the river. The latest round of interest in the park
proposal came when Park
Commissioner Walt Dziedzic arranged for truckloads of dirt to be
hauled in two years ago for athletic fields. But the neighborhood
rose up against the ball fields idea, although the dirt stayed. The
Park Board appointed a neighborhood committee to review the
previous park plans, but the meetings tailed off after renewed
concerns about possible pollution, leaving many impatient. "My
problem is we've sat for two years," said Sally Grans, a
nearby resident. Judd Reitkirk, an assistant park superintendent,
told the group
of about 40 people Saturday that park officials have done some
investigation, but haven't found the money to probe deeply. He said
an inquiry for help made to a firm that bought the Nelson plant has
gone unanswered. But the asbestos issue may be raising the site's
importance.
Kathy Johnson, a representative of the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency, said the time is ripe for seeking money to review the site
and its past uses, and then drill into it to see what's there.
State Sen. Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, volunteered to take
the lead in making that happen. The best case, Johnson said, is that
there's only buried
asbestos. It doesn't have to be dug up if it's not near the
surface, and a park could proceed, perhaps with another layer of
dirt spread on top. But if rumored petroleum or solvent
contamination is found to be entering the river, extensive cleanup
would be required, and possibly disturb the asbestos-laden soil.
Johnson said finding answers would take about a year. She said that
determining the extent of pollution brings no
promise of money to clean it. That depends on whether the nature of
contamination fits various cleanup programs and how cooperative
previous owners are in helping pay for a cleanup. . Steve Brandt
can be contacted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or
612-673-4438.
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