Avon Lake city leaders are preparing for the implosion of portions of its historic power plant, which we now know is scheduled for sometime between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Avon Lake officials announced last week that they were informed by the Avon Lake Environmental Redevelopment Group (ALERG), the owners of the plant, that two boilers and a precipitator will be imploded using "controlled explosives" as the demolition of the 98-year-old facility continues.
Initially, the city said the work would be done by "mid-August," but announced on Sunday that the implosion would be taking place "sometime this week." They added that implosion on the precipitator would be delayed "due to concerns that the blast could damage a nearby smokestack."
Several residents spoke directly to council and to the ALERG representative who was on hand during Monday's meeting.
Some were concerned about what will happen when dust and debris are released into the air after the implosion. Others were upset about a perceived lack of transparency during the project.
"We need to call it off, as far as I'm concerned," one Avon Lake resident told council.
ALERG representative Scott Reschly told the council that all asbestos from the power plant site has been removed, along with all of the coal and other contaminants.
"We do recognize that there's going to be dust and it is going to be around for a couple of minutes," Reschly said. "We have done an extensive amount of risk assessment on this."
Reschly had a contentious exchange with Avon Lake Councilman Rob Shahmir during the meeting, the latter claiming that ALERG had not properly informed the council of its implosion plan ahead of time.
"We have a responsibility on this side of the table to ensure our residents are safe," Shahmir said emotionally. "Be clear. If you've done it, we'll take a look at it and say, 'Bravo, thanks for doing it.'"
Jiovanni Lieggi reports: [ Ссылка ]
