Standard-Examiner: Ogden: Massive Burn Off / Cost of Asbestos Removal Nixes Idea For Removing Homes

Personally, we're against burning down Ogden

This morning's Standard-Examiner delivers the latest news regarding Boss Godfrey's Leshemville Fire Demolition Plan. The SE headline tells the story succinctly... more or less:

• Ogden: Massive burn off / Cost of asbestos removal nixes idea for removing homes

There are several factors which evidently influenced the City's apparent change of plans:

1) It turns out the projected cost savings didn't shake out as expected:

It will cost about the same to demolish the homes as setting them on fire because of the increased expense from asbestos removal under the burn scenario, said Jonny Ballard, the city's community development manager.
The price tag for both methods is estimated at about $545,000, he said.

2) And reading between the lines, there's the whole public health issue, as expressed in this eloquent Councilwoman Amy Wicks quote:

"It doesn't matter if it's four or nearly 40 (vacant homes), it's simply a very bad idea from a public health and public perception standpoint, and the potential cost savings for incineration instead of demolition are negligible," Councilwoman Amy Wicks wrote in an e-mail to the Standard-Examiner.
"If Ogden City is dealing with the problem for the property owner, we should be concerned solely with completing the task in the safest and most acceptable way possible, not putting the health of our residents and positive image of our community at risk to save a property owner who did not address the issue in a timely manner."

And focusing further on the public health issue, be sure to read Dr. Brian Moench's sobering SE Guest Commentary, (from which Mr. Schwebke lifts a couple of paragraphs within his above-linked morning story), which really ought to be considered the frosting on the cake:

• Don't burn Ogden houses

Taking Dr. Moench's evidence into account, we're relieved somebody finally got around to contacting an expert.

Weirdly enough, and even in light of the above evidence however, it appears the Godfrey Administration (and Council Chair Gochnour [?]) still remain dead set to torch at least two of the derelict properties, (and possibly as many as eight.)

As far as the issue of torching even a single of these properties, we'll go along with Councilwoman Van Hooser on this:

"Personally, I'm against burning down Ogden," [Van Hooser] said. "I feel it's not very good in keeping with what we are trying to do here as a healthy and sustainable green community."

So what say our gentle readers about all this?

Update 8/21/10 11:30 a.m.: Thanks to a tip from the sharp-eyed Curmudgeon, we provide a link to this morning's Salt Lake Tribune story, which reports the most recent development in the Leshemville Demolition Saga:

• Ogden Riverfront demolition by fire gets pared back