Claytown community activist Sheila Crowell (l) explains her concerns about contaminated grounds at new Munger PreK-8 school to community and officials, including (background) State Rep. Virgil Smith.
Bond project manager claims sites are safe based on inspection by “3rd party” environmental hygienist
DPS admits no removal of contaminated soil was done before constructing Prop S schools
Community fears sites remain dangerous to children and families
By Diane Bukowski with Sheila Crowell
April 1, 2013
DETROIT — The Chicago school district announced the closure of 54 schools last month, due to a $1 billion debt. The declaration brought back horrific memories of the Detroit Board of Education’s 2005 vote to close 50 schools, the beginning of a Hurricane Katrina that has left the district with only 104 bona fide (non-charter) public schools out of 268 it had in 1999. By 2014, additional closures will reduce that figure to 72.
Chadsey High School before its demolition.
Sheila Crowell, a community activist, has doggedly followed the demise of Chadsey High School, a storied multi-ethnic landmark, and other schools serving Detroit’s “Claytown” neighborhood on the city’s near west side over the last decade. Southwestern High School, and Hanneman, O.W. Holmes, Logan and Munger Elementary Schools, among others, have also been closed.
Recently, Crowell and her neighbors have focused on environmental and health issues resulting from Chadsey’s demolition, and its replacement by the $22.3 million Munger PreK-8 elementary on what was confirmed to be contaminated soil prior to the construction.
Chadsey during demolition, which left site contaminated with dangerous chemicals including asbestos and lead.
The construction managers were Turner Construction, a national white-owned company headquartered in New York City, and White Construction, a Black-owned Detroit-based business. Walbridge Aldinger, owned by John Rakolta, a close ally of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Brailsford Dunleavy, and Fanning Howey form the overall Bond Program Management Team.
“Carol Weaver [DPS supervisor of community outreach] and the DPS feel the school grounds are safe,” Crowell said. “No one is bucking the DPS, because no one cares about the youth and our 48210 Claytown neighborhood residents, meaning our lives are in danger every day. When the rain comes this spring the so called safe DPS school and park grounds will melt away again, running down onto the school grounds, city of Detroit sidewalks, streets, and alleys, placing the homeowners’ lives and homes in major danger. Does someone have to wait until the ground sinks leaving open holes for a youth or adult to fall into to? All of this and more just so people like Walbridge could make money off the Proposal S Plan.”
Munger High School, front, during meeting March 1, 2013. Walkways into school were also covered with ice and unsafe.
The demolition and construction were paid for out of a $500.5 million bond issue allegedly approved by Detroit voters as Proposal S in 2010. (The Wayne County Board of Commissioners ruled that 60 percent of the votes in the election, including all absentee ballots, were not recountable due to irregularities, in response to a challenge by Mayoral candidate Tom Barrow.)
DPS officials at a March 1 meeting called by Crowell and held in the Munger school library admitted no removal of contaminated soil was done prior to the school’s construction, but claimed precautions taken have made the grounds safe.
MDEQ representatives stand in background during meeting at Munger.
They reiterated what Rachel Lynn of Brailsford and Dunlavey told Crowell in an email March 29, 2012:
“The soils on school site only (not Dingeman Park) were tested before the start of construction by a 3rd party environmental hygienist, and the test results showed that the contaminants in the soils were those found in diesel fuel and metals;
Rachel Lynn of Brailsford and Dunleavy, part of DPS Bond Program Management Team.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) evaluates the risk associated with contaminants by examining the different ways people may be exposed to them, including eating, touching, inhaling dust, breathing vapors, etc.
For the contaminants found in the soils at Munger, and at the levels they were detected, the only way of exposure that posed risk was if the soils were touched or eaten; for all other ways (inhaling, drinking water, breathing vapors, etc.), the contaminants were not present at levels above the acceptable standards set by MDEQ for residential areas;
The imported soil and sand will be tested by the 3rd party hygienist to confirm that it is free of contaminants and do not pose risk to the students or community;
All soils currently seen piled on site will remain on site and will not be removed and dumped;
This method of managing the soils is a method approved by MDEQ and has been used at schools in Detroit and the suburbs; and
The site will be safe for the students and community as a result of these measures.”
Sheila Crowell makes a point during March 1 meeting.at Munger.
Crowell responded, “If the MDEQ has not or cannot receive copies of all testing done by this third party environmental hygienist who so called tested the Munger School grounds at any level, how would MDEQ be able to say and give the okay the contaminated soil was safe for anyone walking to school, attending school, playing and rolling on school grounds, residents, homeowners, anyone who would put themselves in, on or near the DPS school property, including Dingeman Playfield, both owned by the DPS? The Munger School grounds, Dingeman Playfield, Larkins Alley, homeowners/property on Larkins, Cecil and Martin, etc. must be tested and paid for by DPS. Just because we are a poor neighborhood, we have rights to live & breathe as any other human person living in the USA.”
Shreds of what appears to be orange geofabric on Munger site in July, 2012. Photo by Sheila Crowell.
Crowell proceeded to monitor the site herself repeatedly during and after construction. During one visit to the site in July, 2012, she observed that some of the “geofabric” barriers were already shredded, among numerous other problems.
In Aug. 2012, VOD went to the site with Crowell and took photos, observing large mounds of soil, standing pools of water, debris including a dog carcass, more orange geofabric that was out of place, and other items which appeared to be evidence of contamination.. VOD published an article by Crowell including those photos along with hers, and VOD commentary, at
Sheila Crowell and State Sen. Virgil Smith point out iced over walkway on Munger grounds that they fear will melt in the spring and contaminate new soil laid over old.
Crowell said that since then, she has repeatedly asked the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to test both the Munger site and Dingeman Playfield, to no avail. During the March 1, 2013 meeting, former Chadsey and current Southwestern High School coach Ron Hardy asked, “Are the geo-fabric barriers waterproof?”
The MDEQ reps contended that “water infiltration is not necessarily a concern. The possibility of water becoming contaminated is minimal. There is no acute risk.”
“Why did the Bond Oversight Committee stand by the decision to lay geo-fabric barriers in landscaped areas, not covered by pavement on top of the contaminated soil, then import 12 inches of new sand and top soil to lay on top of the barrier?” Crowell asked. “That’s 12 inches of so called protection which is washing away. A foot of protection. Shame!”
The meeting and walk-though of the Munger grounds, called by Crowell for the community and government officials March 1, 2013, was well-attended.
Michigan State Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), State Sen. Virgil Smith (D-Detroit), and Jesse Gonzalez, representing Wayne County Commissioner Ilona Varga were present, along with two MDEQ representatives, Joseph DeGrazia, C.P.G. and Gerald Tiernan, C.P.G.
Community representatives included Claytown residents Al Nasir and Aswan Almaktary of ACCESS, John Lopes, President of Southwest PRIDE, and Coach Hardy.
Representing DPS in addition to Weaver were Roderick Brown, Executive Director of Operations for the bond program, Kevin Smith, Chief of Staff to DPS EM Roy Roberts, Felicia Venable-Akinbode, executive director of DPS Auxiliary Services, and Munger School Principal Deborah Hurst.
State Rep. Rashida Tlaib explains her bill that would require remediation of grounds before new school construction,.
The most striking admission from DPS at the meeting was that nothing was done at Munger or other newly-constructed Prop S schools to actually remove contaminated soil. Many of the schools have been built on sites where old schools laden with asbestos and other contaminates were demolished.
“I have introduced House Bill 4827, which would require an environmental assessment before schools are constructed,” Rep. Tlaib said. (Click on Tlaib 2013-HIB-4278 to read entire bill.)
The bill says public notice of the results of the inspection shall be posted on the school board’s website and published in a newspaper of general circulation.
Standing water turned into ice still on Munger grounds March, 2013.
It further states, “The board or board of directors shall not commence construction of a school building at the site unless a licensed professional engineer has attested under seal that planned reponse activities will at least satisfy the clean-up criteria for limited residential use under Sec. 20120A(1)C and (17) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.20120A, or planned corrective action will at least satisfy the cleanup criteria for restricted residential use under part 213 of the Natural Resources and Envionmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.21301A TO 324.21334.”
Ice was on Munger basketball court as well. Sheila Crowell and VOD saw children playing there last fall.
Rep. Tlaib said, “I would rather that the school sites just get completely remediated before the buildings are constructed.” She expressed concerns that DPS would be subject to lawsuits from the community as illnesses related to the contamination develop.
Crowell said she is also concerned about Dingeman Playfield adjacent to the new Munger PreK-8 building. DPS purchased those grounds from the City of Detroit, possibly through Prop S, and is now responsible for them.
“I am very concerned about health issues there for the kids and the parents,” Crowell said. “I want those grounds tested as well.”
Ice pool where trees were planted on Munger grounds by Greening of Detroit.
Conditions on the Munger and Dingeman sites became apparent as the group did a walk-through of the area. But even prior to the walk-through, VOD noted that the sidewalks in front of Munger were covered with ice and barely accessible for the young children entering and leaving the building, let alone adults.
During the walk-through, large iced over areas on the grounds were evident, in the same areas VOD observed pools of standing water during its walk-through in Sept. 2012. Also iced over were walkways and a basketball court used by students and the community. Crowell and others expressed concern that when the ice melts, the resulting water will sink into the new soil placed above the contaminated soil and carry contaminants back to the top.
Sheila Crowell and community group planting tree on Dingeman Playfield several years ago. Their community plan for the playground was destroyed by bureacrats; they lost over $508,000 in funding.
Crowell pointed out saplings that the Greening of Detroit had planted on the grounds and expressed doubts regarding whether they would be contaminated as well, and fail to grow properly. A retired City of Detroit Recreation Department forester told VOD earlier that the Greening of Detroit does not follow up properly on trees it plants because its young volunteers do not have the needed training.
As we walked through Munger School, images of what had been a vibrant, multi-ethnic, renowned Chadsey High School came to mind, a school destroyed by government officials and contractors greedy for dollars. Chadsey students walked out several times to protest their school’s closing, to no avail. See the video below taken in 2007 by a Chadsey student.
Chadsey High School 2007, uploaded by “death by reflection.” Some clips & pics from Chadsey high school my tenth grade year before I got expelled. Just watch, you might even be in it!! This is a video of a last view of how this school will be remembered! It will be demolished, starting March 8th, 2011. Long live ” The Explorers!” Comments:
Rachel Hutterson damn!!!MEMORIES MEMORIES; MzSweets1010 man this is just sad…so many memories here and now they’re all gone.. and i thought i could return in a few years and look back on the good times..smh CLASS OF 09!!!
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Great work Shelia!
Sandy (Kay’s friend in TN)