Zeeq Michel uses the same bus almost every day to get to and from his extracurricular job at Spokane Salish School.
Zeeq, 15, said he feared for his protection whenever he was caught waiting by the pole at the corner of Maple Street and Maxwell Avenue, basically because of the condemned “incomplete” construction.
The bus stop is just yards from where one of West Central’s most troublesome horrors once stood. The Spokane County Department of Public Works demolished the design in early January, and Zeeq said he feels much safer since then.
“There’s a lot of suspicious activity there,” he said. I saw a lot of drug use there, just out in the open, and kind of a restless crowd hanging around. “
The design is a former office building owned by W. R. Grace and Co. , which operated its Vermiculite Northwest plant on assets until the 1970s. The plant processed asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore from the company’s mine near Libthrough, Montana, and turned it into an attic. insulation called Zonolite.
Spokane County purchased the land in 2000, and shortly thereafter, the Environmental Protection Agency conducted soil tests that revealed the presence of asbestos fibers on the property. The mine where the ore came from had an asbestos deposit that infected most of the vermiculite. In 2007, the county opted to use asphalt to cover and seal the southwestern portion of the property, where the vermiculite processing and handling buildings once stood. The highest concentrations of asbestos were discovered at depths of up to four feet.
Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, cancer, and lung problems, in addition to asbestosis.
Public Works Director Kyle Twohig said there were plans to demolish the construction for a long time, but the procedure was fast-tracked at the request of County Commissioner Chris Jordan.
Jordan, who represents the West Central district, said he began hearing from constituents about building the old workplace shortly after he took office last January. Residents of the community complained that it was an eyesore and attracted a wide variety of criminal activity.
“I was lucky enough to tour the assets and saw used needles on the ground, trash inside the fence and, beyond that, graffiti,” Jordan said. “I had heard that this was a long-standing factor in the community, so I reached out to Public Works to see what we can do to speed up this process.
Crews began demolition in December after cutting through asbestos discovered inside. They finished their paintings at the beginning of the new year. Jordan said he thanked Twohig and the Department of Public Works for their help in alleviating the long-standing fear of those who live and box near the building.
“With the nuisance factor we faced, we withdrew the case very soon,” Twohig said. “And I’ve heard feedback from the community about this decision. “
The demolition was a precursor to much more extensive work the county has planned for the site. The department currently houses most of its heavy machinery, striping equipment and a trailer for training there. Twohig said they plan to construct a brand-new Public Works facility there in the coming years that will consolidate the department’s bridge crew, sign shop, signal shop, construction management office, construction materials and a training room.
Twohig said most of the structural paintings will be placed in the least infected areas of the site, but there is a possibility that environmental and health issues could arise. The layer of asphalt that covers most of the infected soils will not be disturbed and will not need to be repositioned, but the ministry will still be adding elements to it.
EPA investigators visited the site three times between 2000 and 2011, conducting soil tests that showed significant construction or movement of soil on the site could throw plumes of asbestos into the air and create a health hazard. Federal officials also removed some contaminated soil from a nearby apartment building in April 2011.
The county Department of Public Works will collaborate heavily with the Washington State Department of Ecology to mitigate concerns, Twohig said.
“It’s less contaminated, so there’s not as much of a concern,” Twohig said. “We will still follow a pretty healthy testing regimen, though.”
The allocation is still in its early stages, however, Twohig and Jordan said they are ahead of what lies ahead for the former processing site. Twohig said the branch is working to ensure all allocation needs are met, adding that it must ensure there is sufficient funding.
“I’m excited to see how the operational amenities move forward and I think it’s an opportunity to take a look at our county homes and see, holistically, how they can best meet our desires and those of neighboring communities,” Jordan said.
Zeeq, as he stood at the bus stop he uses Tuesday afternoon, looked where the construction once stood and smiled. He noted that the dirt yard had been fenced off, preventing other people from congregating there.
“I’m less nervous. I’m less concerned about my well-being, you know?” he said. Now it’s just dirt. “
Editor’s note: This story was amended on January 18, 2024, to correct the spelling of the first mention of Zeeq Michel in the references.