By Jason Arndt
Correspondent
Parks officials are working to quell concerns that the converted Stokely property – now being used for a soccer field – is the former site of a toxic landfill, an issue recently raised online by a citizen of Union Grove.
“This was never a toxic landfill in its entire history,” Public Works Director Mark Osmundsen said, speaking at the Village Board’s July 22 meeting.
“The resident thinks it was. It was never a landfill at all.”
Village President Mike Aimone informed the Board the citizen has made various posts to the online Facebook social networking site, indicating the new soccer field contains toxic waste.
“This is an old (sauer)kraut factory and was zoned as industrial,” said Village Trustee Bill Stoltz. “It stood as an old brownfield after, and then was cleaned up seven to eight years ago and given a clean bill of health.”
“Any time an issue like this comes up, the State is drawn into it to be sure it is a safe area,” Osmundsen added, referring to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
In the village’s meeting room are historical photos of the old Stokely property when it was used as a sauerkraut factory dating back to the early 1800s, which Osmundsen pointed out Monday after the Village Board’s meeting.
Stoltz stated the village plans to locate the documents related to the site’s cleanup and inspection reports of the former factory.
Osmundsen will draft a letter summarizing the history of the property to present to the citizen in question, and this information will also be included in the quarterly village newsletter that comes out in September.
Following the departure of the sauerkraut business, the Stokely property was not utilized and eventually it was given to the Village of Union Grove to redevelop. Parks officials then made the decision to convert it to a soccer field and allow local teams to practice on it.
For more Village Board news see the July 26 edition of the Westine Report.
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