A developer has been sentenced to five years of supervised probation for failing to properly remove and dispose of asbestos at a building site in Kansas City, Mo., according to a story in the Kansas City Star.
Developer Bill Threatt pleaded guilty to violations of the federal Clean Air Act, which were committed from 2001 to 2006 while he was overseeing preparations for the Citadel Plaza retail project in downtown Kansas City.
The story says Threatt could have been sentenced to at least two years in prison. The supervising probation officer can direct that he serve six months of that time in a halfway house. In addition, Threatt was fined $10,000 and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.
Asbestos, now banned as a building material, was once widely used for fireproofing and is common in older buildings.
Removal and disposal of the material is subject to rigorous regulations because breathing high levels of asbestos fibers is linked to lung cancer; mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity; and asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue.
The Kansas City Star says the Citadel Plaza project was originally intended to transform Kansas City’s downtown, with a new shopping center constructed on an abandoned, environmentally contaminated site.
But environmental mismanagement derailed the project. The city ultimately had to pay $15 million to settle lawsuits from investors who lost money in the project.
City officials are now carefully assessing the cleanup plan, which is estimated to cost $1 million.
If you or a loved one have contracted mesothelioma as a result of asbestos exposure, contact Lopez McHugh for a free consultation.
See the story here:
https://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/15/3868470/threatt-sentenced-to-probation.html
