The Trenton City Council has announced it has reached a settlement with the Missouri Attorney General’s office and the Department of Natural Resources in connection with alleged violations of air standards incurred during summer of 2003 while the city was completing a housing demolition project.
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The Trenton City Council has announced it has reached a settlement with the Missouri Attorney General’s office and the Department of Natural Resources in connection with alleged violations of air standards incurred during summer of 2003 while the city was completing a housing demolition project.
During an executive session of the city council on Monday night, the council approved the settlement which requires the city to pay $3,000 to the Grundy County School Fund, with an additional $4,000 fine being suspended on the condition that Trenton has no additional violations of air standards during the next year. It was noted that four of the six alleged violations were the result of contractor actions.
The announcement of the settlement was made late Thursday afternoon by city officials.
According to City Administrator Kerry Sampson, over 60 dilapidated and unsafe structures were demolished and removed from Trenton during the project. The city had received a $125,000 Community Develop-ment Block Grant to assist in removing the structures, with each property owner being asked to contribute $500 toward the property cleanup. The total project cost was approximately $221,000, with the city providing approximately $66,000 in matching funds.
Among the alleged violations listed by DNR include failure to provide the department at least 10 working days notice of asbestos abatements done on five structures; failure to provide at least 10 days notice prior to beginning demolition activities at 14 properties; failure to notify DNR of a regulated abatement activity, failure to comply with asbestos emission control procedures during a project, failure to provide DNR with at least 10 days notice prior to a planned fire training exercise and failure to inspect for the presence of asbestos at property the city owns at 1204 Oklahoma Ave. and failure to notify the DNR of demolition activity involving that property.
In other business from the executive session on Monday night, approval was given to hire a police officer whose duties will include working undercover in cooperation with other area, state and federal law enforcement agencies. According to a press release from the city, the identity of the officef is not being disclosed as it would “pose a clear and present danger to the safety of the undercover officer and other persons, including witnesses or informants wishing to remain confidential, or suspects not yet in custody, and could jeopardize ongoing criminal investigations as well as disclose techniques, procedures or guidelines for law enforcement investigations or prosecutions.”