Maplewood waste site suit settled, but mold issue lingers

December 4, 2004

Last update: December 3, 2004 at 11:00 PM

Lynn , Star Tribune

December 4, 2004 MOLD1204

A group of Maplewood residents and Ramsey County have settled a

seven-year legal battle over a former yard-waste site that residents

said contaminated their homes and made them sick.

But the war over the former Beam Av. facility may not be over.

For now Ramsey County and the 11 homeowners in the lawsuit have

agreed to a $415,000 settlement; the two sides finalized the terms

Friday. The county's insurance company will pick up the tab. An

additional $35,000 settlement was made with Cappies Trucking, which

hauled yard waste from the Beam Av. site.

Under the terms of a $3 million judgment against Composting

Concepts, the company responsible for taking the yard waste from the

Beam Av. site, the money can only be collected from the company's

insurer.

According to the agreement, the county admits no wrongdoing in

managing the site, which opened in 1984. Maplewood forced county

officials to close the site in 2000.

" I'm pleased to have this resolved. It's been seven years, " said

assistant Ramsey County attorney Darwin Lookingbill.

The residents' attorney, Bob Hill, also said he was pleased with the

settlement because the money will help fuel a continued fight to

clean up homes with mold infestations, which he believes were caused

by the nearby site.

" This situation is far from being resolved, " he said.

Hill believes many neighborhood homes were likely contaminated by

high-temperature bacteria that were incubated at Beam Av. He said

some of those homes are being tested and he may pursue further

litigation to resolve what he says is a public health issue.

Lynn is at mlsmith@...

Recommended Posts