KALAMAZOO (WKZO)– After years of wrangling and fighting over the fate of the Allied Paper Dumpsite off Alcott road, the City of Kalamazoo is proposing a compromise to the E.P.A. that they are calling the Hybrid.
It could be a real turning point in the on-going debate over what to do with the property.
We first told you about this compromise in December.
The hope had been that the city would be able to get the EPA to pay to have all the contaminated material removed, but the enormous cost, estimated to be about 180-million dollars, was more than the EPA was willing to spend.
EPA Project Manager Michael Berkoff says this compromise is in the ballpark and has the added advantage of local buy-in.
They are only at the stage at this point whether its worthy to be considered as an option. If it clears that technical hurdle, then it would join the EPA’s regular competitive process which has been on hold for a year because of tension over how to deal with the dumpsite.
City of Kalamazoo Development Manager Mark Hatton says it’s not the perfect solution, but it’s the obtainable one.
He says there are many issues yet to be resolved, like where to find the extra few million for the project, what to do with the land once the fences come down, but that can all wait until it clears the EPA hurdles first.
Gary Wager with the Kalamazoo River Coalition says he personally sees the advantage of the compromise, but there are members of his group that would still like to see all the contamination removed, particularly the scientists and experts on his board, which gives him pause.
The “hybrid” plan moves all of the contaminants to the 23-acres in back and leaves the rest for development.
There could be limits on the kind of development the land could be used for because of residual contaminants.
It was generally accepted as a reasonable plan at a community meeting Thursday evening.
