When demolition turns dangerous, it's the community that pays the price. The Illinois Attorney General's office stepped into the breach, obtaining a preliminary injunction against Go Glen Ellyn Two LLC, Burdi Custom Builders Inc., and Concrete Construction Company for improperly handling materials packed with asbestos at the demolition site of the former America’s Best Value Inn in Glen Ellyn, reports Illinois Attorney General's news release.
The legal maneuver requires that the defendants whip up an asbestos removal game plan that meets the state's approval, and not only that, but they've got to ensure they're keeping the safety of their workers and bystanders in the crosshairs - within 21 days they must submit a report detailing the removal and demolition activities of the asbestos which means they do have to acknowledge their commitment to play by the rules moving forward, with all future demolitions keeping snug within the boundaries of federal and state regulations. "Any construction project that includes removing materials containing asbestos must follow the law to ensure proper remediation, which is critical to protect both the health of workers and the general public," Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul was quoted saying in the press release.
This whole debacle began after the Illinois EPA got tipped off by a concerned citizen about the demolition taking a careless turn down the asbestos highway. Illinois EPA Acting Director James Jennings recounted how a citizen complaint ignited an agency request to cease operations pending an inspection, which in turn revealed a circus of violations against the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.
The site, located in the suburbia at 677 Roosevelt Road and neighbors to a park, eateries, and medical facilities, was left compromised with demolition debris, including that extra-special asbestos-laden kind, freely mixing it up with other rubble, as observed by officials, the kicker though, the noxious debris lay exposed, not even the decency of a tarp to tuck it in and prevent those nasty fibers from taking a jaunt around the neighborhood, according to the press release.
