Divert, obfuscate and lie, lie, lie. That's the M.O. of 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore. He was in good form this week as he diverted, obfuscated and lied about the
asbestos threat at the
North Shore School demolition site.
Moore continues to poo-poo the hazardous materials at the site and the dangers they pose. These are long-term dangers; neither
asbestos or
mesothelimoa kill immediately but can cause cancers and other disease that do eventually kill or maim. Think of second hand smoke, for example.
In spite of the fact that the building lay open to wind for weeks, Moore told the News-Star that, to quote writer Lorraine Swanson, "
the site poses no immediate risk to nearby neighbors or the lakefront." For Moore to say that is either so cynical or so ignorant that the man's rationality must be called into question. It's either a clever lie - knowing full well that asbestos can take years to kill - or a demonstration of a complete lack of knowledge about asbestos.
The school was fenced off for demolition in early March. The actual demo started on March 10. Neighbors and local blogs asked whether there was a hazardous material issue, such as asbestos, involved with the pending demolition. We got, as usual, no response from Moore.
Swanson's front page article in today's News-Star has a number of disturbing revelations in it.
For example:
Chicago Department of Environment inspectors were sent... to the site at the behest of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on March 14.... The building's owner, Swanette Triem, agreed to stop demolition until the IEPA, which has jurisdiction over such matters, could inspect the site.
Are we, then, to believe that the alderman had
no knowledge of (a) city inspectors' actions, (b) the IEPA action, or (c) the property owner's action? Does anybody really believe that?
Swanson's excellent article continues: "IEPA inspectors found pipe wrap containing asbestos," said Larry Merritt, spokesperson for the city's environment department. "That has been confirmed." The state inspector found asbestos on March 11.
Again: Is Moore so out of the loop that his office was not informed of this? Is Moore so aloof that he just never called Swanette Triem, nor she him, to discuss the on-going process of demolition? Was Joe Moore too busy campaigning somewhere outside of Chicago for Barack Obama to take the time to tend to urgent business in his own ward?
No, the News-Star reports: "Alderman Joe Moore's 49th Ward Service office was given a heads up by the building owner [Triem] who notified them that someone filed a complaint about possible hazardous materials being spotted on the site."
Remember, a state inspector found that asbestos on March 11.
Moore told the News-Star, ""I learned about it right after the demolition started," Moore said. "When we were notified on (March 14), it still wasn't clear that asbestos was present. (Triem) voluntarily shut down demolition after getting reports of complaints."
Huh? The demo was halted on March 11. Moore was not notified, he says, until three days later? The reason the demo was halted was because a state IEPA inspector found a six-inch chunk of asbestos. What the heck is Moore trying to say? Triem didn't "voluntarily" shut down the demo - she and her contractor were ordered to by the State of Illinois.
So, Moore cannot claim ignorance. Neglect, maybe, but not ignorance. How does he plead on charges of being aloof and uncaring, or too busy working for Obama, to warn residents next to the hazardous site that they should keep their windows closed, their children out of the site, their pets indoors? Did Moore take steps to shut down the Leone Park children's play lot behind the site until the demo was finished?
No. He did not. In fact, he was not returning worried phone calls from neighbors. I was taking photos of the late, now mangled North Shore School on March 30. A woman who lives next door stopped and we chatted.
"I hope they clean this up soon," she said. "It's been like this for weeks" (delayed demolition). Three weeks after the demolition started, she said, "I've called Alderman Moore's office several times asking when they're going to clean up this mess. He's gotten back to me on other issues, but he hasn't called me back about this."
But here's the kicker.
Moore told the News-Star that the site is not an immediate risk to neighbors or to the lakefront. This flies in the face of the fact that the IEPA feels quite differently, and the signs on the property that say "DANGER, respirators required" hardly indicate that there is no danger.
Moore now says the whole debacle is the fault of the original demolition contractor. News flash for Joe Moore: If you had been more reasonable, and excercised a bit of caution, and allowed the attempt to halt or delay the demolition, this might not be happening. No, Mr. Moore, the fault is yours. Entirely yours, unequivocally yours, forever yours, Mr. Moore.
The News-Star asked Moore how he would feel about living next door to the demolition site with his family, to which Moore responded, "Absolutely."
The Bench suggests that Mr. Moore leave his Potemkin residence on Fargo and immediately move into a home adjacent to the demolition site on Chase Avenue. Then again, we suspect that the neighbors on Chase feel they already have enough poison on their block.
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