2003-04-23 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CC) z o ....... E-< U ~ 'ifl I~TI I _.,- -""" L _-=- -Hi, W'l. IIUJ u m I ~ 0':> ::r:: Cl") 0 u 0 Z ~ 0 ;::J ~ C'l 'ifl ~ Who pays the tab to cleanup meth labs? Some plans charge landlords; renters bear ultimate burden BY AMY SHERMAN Pioneer Press It was one of the dirtiest meth-lab homes some officials had ever seen. The meth cook- ;2; ers at the Chisholm, Minn., g home had tossed substances out C/) ~f a. window, causing an orange r=r:l liqUId to run down its shingles E:: and off the roof. Bags of garbage 2) were stockpiled inside. Z Although the lab had been S; _bu~tedm?r~!:llan a year ago, .;n~lthertl!eli()meowner nor the E-<pt,y" would payct6 have the home S:cleaned' up: at 'remained unin~ s: habited until its recent pur- S:chase. The new owner plans to . do the cleanup work. Z As the number' of metham- 2 phetamine labs skyrockets in E-< Minnesota, more local govern- ;5 ments are facing the question: r=r:l ,Who foots the cleaning bill? >< Local governments worry about E-< potential health risks to future 2) r~sidents, but they don't want to -+c pICk up the tab, which could range from about $3,000 to more than $10,000. The state Health Department estimates that about 400 labs were found in Minnesota last year, while the Drug Enforce- ment Administration reports about 231. Either way,' ,that's much higher than the few that were showing up in the mid~ 1990s. Last year, Dakota County found about 10 meth labs. With four meth labs found in January alone; the county is on track to surpass that number this year. With help from the Health Meth lab cleanup (continued) Department, local governments are developing ordinances that force property owners to pay for meth-lab cleanup by licensed hazardous material contractors. If they refuse, officials can assess the cost to owners. Dakota County is drafting such an ordinance, and other counties may use it as a model. Olmsted County and the cities of Northfield and Oakdale are among jurisdictions that already have such ordinances_ The ordinance has worked, but it has taken longer than the county expected for property owners to make decisions about how to proceed, said Rich Peter Olmsted director of environ~ mental health. The biggest sticking point for county boards charged with approving ordinances is the impact on rental property own- ers. "We are shifting the burden for criminal behavior onto the apartment owner and other renters," said Leann Kispert, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Multi Housing Association. 'J\ny costs incurred by the owner will be passed on as oper- ating expenses through rent. Renters are ultimately going to bear the burden." Property owners can then go after the renters who cause the damage for the costs, but that might not work, said Deborah Durkin, an environmental scien- tist with the state Health Department. "Unfortunately, the average meth cook has a truck, a gun and a few personal posses- sions," Durkin said. In the case of the home in Chisholm, part of the homeown- er's criminal court sentence included restitution to the Min- nesota Pollution Control Agency, which arranged to clean up the exterior of the home. The MPCA spent about $414,000 to clean up 46 meth lab sites during a five-year stretch that ended last summer. The agency does the cleanup if offi- cials think there is a potential hazard to neighboring wells or properties. Meth production has increased because it's easily made with household products including cold tablets and drain cleaners, and it can be . manufactured in homes ice- fishing houses, motel roo~s or cars. Meth labs pose multiple hazards. The labs can catch ~Ire and explode. The drug Itself can .results in chest pain, organ faIlur~, liver damage, abnormal bram chemistry and death. People exposed to labs who don't use the drug face health problems, too. "Just the practice of manu- facturing drugs has contaminat- ed the room," said . Barry Schade, Dakota County's envi- ronmental management direc- tor. "We're concerned that unsuspecting people don't end up in the house." Cleanup can include washing ~a~es, ~hampooing carpets, pamting;, discarding furniture - and sometimes demolition, said Dan Hannan, who works for a company that cleans up meth labs, St. Paul-based Bay West Inc. Amy Sherman covers Dakota County public safety and government. She can be reached at asherman@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-2174.