No Morrilton job, cleanup firm says

Excavator again sought at collapse

— Morrilton building owners have started their excavator search anew after Snyder Environmental and Construction Inc. withdrew its bid to clean up the rubble from the fatal collapse of two buildings in May.

Alissa Jones, 2, died May 16 when the buildings came crashing down. Her mother, Erin Coffman, was seriously injured. Jones’ relatives have said they want the rubble removed because they believe it’s dangerous.

On Friday, Snyder Environmental Construction Inc. agreed to remove the debris containing asbestos - naturally occurring fibrous minerals used in building materials that can cause lung disease - in Morrilton.

But Mayor Stewart Nelson said there was an eleventh-hour dispute between the owners of the collapsed buildings and the company.

Nelson did not explain further, and the company declined to comment.

However, the company did offer the names of two other excavators that may be willing to remove the rubble, said Dr. J.J. Magie, the owner of the two-story building that collapsed.

“We are unsure of when things will get cleaned up,” Magie said. “We need a bid for it before we can do anything.”

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality had ordered an asbestos inspection after learning about the pile of bricks, glass shards,roofing, nail-studded wood and vinyl at the corner of Broadway and Division Street in Morrilton.

Asbestos was found in five of the 16 building samples tested, Magie said. The discovery of asbestos makes the removal more difficult and expensive.

Snyder Environmental and Construction Inc. submitted a bid of $64,466, compared with an early $25,000 bid from another excavator before the asbestos was discovered.

Asbestos must be carefully disposed of to ensure it does not get into the air or the water system.

Magie questioned whether the amount of asbestos present in the rubble is enough to be dangerous. He said he plans to ask the Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in Atlanta for its opinion.

“We can handle the asbestos in the landfill,” Nelson said. “The hard part is getting someone to move the stuff out.”

Arkansas, Pages 14 on 07/27/2011

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