The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
BY KRISTI FISH | MIRROR REPORTER — Demolition of Ned Skeldon Stadium has stopped until a proper permit for the project is issued.
After failing to meet the necessary requirements to secure a permit, the county and contractor were notified of a stop work order by the city of Maumee in mid-December. A meeting was then held with Maumee Mayor Rich Carr, city administrator Patrick Burtch, Law Director Alan Lehenbauer, inspectors and council members to discuss the necessary next steps.
“We wanted to understand everything that was going on, what the requirements were, make sure we had notified everybody, and how we were going to proceed from there and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Carr said. “They still have some hoops they have to go through and complete before they’ll be able to resume work.”
Previously, the city was aware of asbestos at the facility, so an asbestos clearance report is required, but there was no report provided when the permit was applied for.
“When you demolish something, NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants), which is a federal agency, requires specific protocols when you’re taking down a structure to protect the workers and the public,” Burtch said.
City officials have been made aware the asbestos was taken care of, so there is no concern to the residents of Maumee, but other items are still needed for the permit to be issued, Carr said.
Several items including a site plan must be provided, which ensures the project will meet architectural standards for the city. Add-itionally, Post-Construction Stormwater Management requirements must be met during the demolition, Burtch said.
“There are control measures like when you’re spraying down the site during demolition, that stuff doesn’t go down the storm drain, that you don’t have any airborne dust that gets off the site, things like that,” Burtch said. “We didn’t have any of that, so the inspectors stopped the destruction of the building until such time they could have proof that stuff was being taken care of.”
At the time of The Mirror’s publication, the city was still waiting on several pieces of paperwork before a permit could be issued to continue demolition. U.S. Utilities, the electrical contractors, have been allowed to continue work. They are installing electrical panels for use after the demolition of the stadium.
Burtch said it is not atypical for the city to issue a stop work order on construction projects – big and small – until a valid permit is obtained. He said the contractor and county government were made aware of the issue and understand what requirements must be met, not just in Maumee but on the state and federal levels.
“We applaud the county’s efforts to remove the old structure – it was dilapidated and condemned before and had a significant amount of asbestos in the building. What the county is doing is the right thing: taking it down,” Burtch said. “We just have to make sure, since we didn’t have a permit, that it never had been granted, that those protocols have been followed to protect our citizens and the workers.”
Mayor Carr again reminded Maumee residents there are no health concerns for the city and that the city is just waiting until all information is in before issuing the permit.
The project is being completed by Mark Haynes Construction, following approval of the $885,484 contract awarded by the Lucas County Board of Commissioners in September.
