Some significant progress has been made in dealing with longtime coal tar contamination in the south part of Belleville.
At Monday’s council meeting, Mayor Mitch Panciuk announced that the city has been working with corporate partners to address the issues, which had led to the Ministry of Environment levying hefty fines on the city.
Panciuk says the parties involved will meet at an Environmental Review Tribunal hearing on March 22, where that 2015 order will be removed and the city’s remediation measures will be approved, leading to some long-awaited development in the area.
“We will be purchasing a piece of property for $1 and we will be selling another parcel of property for $300,000. The other parties are making a significant donation to a community charity, in exchange for dropping their countersuit against the City of Belleville and will be receiving an indemnification”
Panciuk says there will also be “a substantial expansion of operations of another business in a different part of the city”.
The mayor added that he can’t disclose the corporate partners that are involved until after the hearing on March 22, but more details will follow after that.
