Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has paused construction on a base camp for migrants in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood following the release of an environmental report last week.
According to the governor's office, the pause is intended so the governor can review the report and discuss further with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Those discussions are expected to take place Monday.
An 800-page environmental assessment report was released late Friday by the city of Chicago, revealing soil contamination was discovered from mercury and other compounds at the Brighton Park site.
The site, located near West 38th Street and South California Avenue, is expected to temporarily house up to 2,000 migrants as part of the city’s efforts to drawn down the number of people sleeping at airport and police stations as winter approaches.
Brighton Park residents and environmental advocates have opposed the site over its location and environmental concerns.
A statement from the city indicated that the mercury discovered in the soil that exceeded environmental limits had been removed and disposed of. The report states that the soil surrounding the area the sample area where mercury was discovered was excavated and disposed of.
Another location on site, where semi-volatile compounds were discovered will be addressed, the statement said.
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Here is a portion of the statement from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office:
“According to the report, soil with mercury levels was identified at one location and was removed and properly disposed offsite at a landfill. Likewise, soil with a high level of a semivolatile compound was identified at another location, and will be removed and disposed of offsite. Finally, to address remaining contamination in surface soil typical of urban areas, AIS directed the placement of crushed clean stone with a minimum thickness of 6” as an engineered barrier across the site. The engineered barrier will be periodically inspected to ensure that the minimum thickness is maintained.
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With the limited soil removal and placement and maintenance of the barrier, the site is safe for temporary residential use.”
Construction efforts at the site accelerated this week – less than three months after the city inked a $29 million contract with the company GardaWorld to erect the temporary structures. The move by the city to place migrants into a base camp is designed to move them away from sleeping on the floors of airports and outside Chicago police stations as winter approaches and temperatures outside drop.
As of Friday, massive tent-like structures had been erected on the site. Generators and other heavy equipment – including semis hauling lumber – could be seen in the once-vacant lot. Earlier this week, NBC 5 Investigates watched as truck after truck hauled loads of gravel onto the site where pavers moved back and forth over the newly-laid surface.
NBC 5 Investigates attempted several times on Friday to ask Mayor Johnson to provide an update on the site – he did not respond to our series of questions.
During a news conference earlier this week, Mayor Brandon Johnson rejected criticism that his administration has not been transparent about how it has handled migrants matters – saying: “This notion that there's been a lack of information or transparency, I call false on that. I have told the truth… and I will always tell the truth."
When NBC 5 Investigates asked Johnson Tuesday to confirm what specific contaminants had been located at the site, Johnson said “the assessment is ongoing" and "the full report will be provided by the end of the week.”
“I hear your question, you've asked why are we still moving forward - because that's the process we've been administrating from the very beginning," Johnson said when pressed further about the city’s approach to move forward without the environmental assessment.
Records by NBC 5 Investigates show the site was once used as a zinc smelter and was part of a railyard.
Over the weekend, Ald. Julia Ramirez, whose ward includes the site, posted a letter to social media noting that there’s been “bad communication” and a "lack of transparency from the city" regarding the site - adding that her office was made aware of "toxic metals in the soil” and the remediation “had been done.”
Johnson did not respond to questions Friday about that.
